


A Trip Around Yggdrasil

by GayRainbowBridge



Series: Frostiron Stories/Oneshots [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Asgard, BAMF Tony Stark, Bottom Tony Stark, Darkness, Dragons, Drowning, Elves are Dicks, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Evil Odin (Marvel), Fake Character Death, Falling In Love, Fear, Fights, Fire, Fluff and Angst, Good Laufey (Marvel), Helheimr | Hel (Realm), Humor, Hurt Tony Stark, Idiots in Love, Implied Mpreg, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Torture, Jealousy, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Jotunn | Frost Giant, Jötunheimr | Jotunheim, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, M/M, Miðgarðr | Midgard, Muspellsheimr | Muspelsheim, Near Death Experiences, Niflheim, Protective Loki (Marvel), Protective Tony Stark, Snow and Ice, Squirrels, Starving, Stubborn Dwarves, Svartálfaheimr | Svartalfheim, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Top Loki (Marvel), Vanaheimr | Vanaheim, Violence, Whipping, Álfheimr | Alfheim
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:01:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 32
Words: 82,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28568151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayRainbowBridge/pseuds/GayRainbowBridge
Summary: Tony Stark is forced to attend Loki's trial with the other Avengers and the day before said trial, he finds out that Loki never committed the crimes he did willingly. During the trial, Tony stands up for Loki and they both end up getting banished to Niflheim.Together they go through an adventure and a half, fighting for their lives and struggling for survival. Together, they learn to trust one another and work with each other to get back home.But feelings between them start to grow and soon enough they are fighting not for themselves, but for each other. Both are protecting the other from the things that wish to harm them.But will they ever admit to these growing feelings between them? Will they ever tell the other the secrets they're hiding?Or will it be too late?•°•°•°•Rough guess for chapters. 95% sure it'll be 34 chapters
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Series: Frostiron Stories/Oneshots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095008
Comments: 120
Kudos: 277





	1. Tony Stark Wins The 'Best Whiner' Award

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

Tony Stark was good at a lot of things.

He was good at building stuff. He was super smart. He could do almost anything asked of him without fail (unless it was something he didn't want to do). He was a good friend and was easy to get along with or just to have around for a laugh.

But there was one thing Tony was good at above anything else.

Whining.

"Why do I have to go!" Tony asked for what felt like the thousandths time. He was hanging halfway off the couch, looking at Steve upside down.

Steve sighed for what felt like the _billionths_ time. "I told you. Thor asked us to serve as witnesses to what Loki did. We agreed that we would."

"You mean _you_ agreed," Tony muttered under his breath, pouting like the five year old he was.

"Personally, I can't wait," Clint said, a rather sinister grin spreading across his face. "I wonder if Norse deities still do whipping?"

The next thing that came out of the archers mouth was a yelp of pain as Natasha had wacked him in the back of the head. "Shut up, Clint," she said with no particular emotion.

"I still don't know about this," Bruce said, wringing his hands nervously. "What if I...you know...Hulk out? I-I don't want to ruin Thor's home..."

Tony felt a pang of sympathy for his science bro.

"You'll be alright," he said as he turned to be sitting more or less the right way up to look at Bruce even though his hair was now a chaotic mess. "We just gotta keep you calm and happy."

"Yeah, that'll be right," Clint said, glancing at the good Doctor. "He's attending Loki's trial. 'Calm and happy' are definitely the first things that come to mind when you think of Loki."

"Clint," Steve said sternly, "not helping."

Bruce, if possible, looked even more anxious, but was obviously trying his hardest not to show it.

Steve knitted his eyebrows together in concern. "If you don't feel up to it then you don't have to go. I'm sure Thor will understand."

"Hold up!" Tony said quickly. "If Brucey isn't going, then I ain't going either!"

Steve gave Tony a disapproving look. "Tony—"

"No, no. It's fine. I-I can go," Bruce intervened before the two could start fighting.

"It's settled then," Steve said finally. "Thor said he'd come by tomorrow to take us there, so we have some time to gather some information and evidence to prove what Loki did. Since you, Tony, are the best at the technical side of things, perhaps you could get some video footage from surveillance cameras and such?"

Tony scowled, trying not to feel too good about Steve's compliment. "Yeah, alright. I suppose," he grumbled.

"Great. Thanks, Tony," Steve said with a sincere smile which made Tony want to melt.

Did he have feelings for Steve?

Okay, yes. Yes he did. But it was more complicated than that.

What with all the drama throughout the mission of stopping Loki from taking over the world, it had definitely complicated things _a lot_.

When Tony had first found out that Captain America, _the_ Captain America, was still alive, he had been thrilled! He had idolized Steve Rogers ever since he was little. His Father told him all the stories about the 'Great Captain America'. Tony had wanted to be just like him!

But when Tony actually met him, that changed. He realized pretty soon that Steve wasn't the man his Father made him out to be.

But the worst part was when Steve had said that Tony wasn't a hero.

When he said that, Tony felt as if Steve had physically punched him. That probably would have hurt less.

You'd think, by then, Tony would have given up that his hero would ever see him as an equal, much less a friend. But, oh no. Things just got more complicated still.

When he woke up, after falling from the vortex in the sky during the attack, Steve was kneeling over him, his face just inches from Tony's, worry in those blue eyes of his and Tony had almost leaned up and kissed him.

Almost.

Instead he blurted out, 'please tell me nobody kissed me'. He had said it, not really as a joke though they laughed, but as a way to make sure that they didn't think he'd wanted to.

That's around the time that he realized his feelings for Steve went much deeper than an idolization from when he was young.

Back to the present time, things between the two were a little tense. They constantly bickered with one another that usually led to a shouting match, which forced the others to break the two apart before Steve broke Tony's bones.

But, like now, there were those rare moments when they weren't getting in each other's faces and Tony could actually enjoy however small the smile Steve was sending his way.

"Yeah, whatever," Tony mumbled eventually.

"I can help with the paperwork?" Bruce suggested nervously and Tony silently cursed as Steve looked at the scientist and flashed him a warm smile.

"Of course," Steve said to Bruce. "You wanna help, Nat?" He asked, glancing over at her.

The female assassin smirked. "Obviously. You boy's would be lost without me."

Clint made a slight coughing noise. "Well, it looks like you don't need me, so I'll just—"

"Oh no, you don't," Natasha said, stepping in front of Clint, blocking his escape. "We'll find you something to do. Maybe make you get out snacks when we're hungry. Don't think you're getting out of this."

She hauled him away, dragging him by the ear as he muttered, 'ow, ow, ow!' Bruce followed after them, smart enough to follow so as not to also get dragged by the ear also. That's why he was the second smartest guy on the team.

Steve chuckled, shaking his head at the team's antics. Tony couldn't help a begrudging smile.

"I'll see you at dinner, Tony," Steve said to the genius as he went after the others.

Tony watched him go until he disappeared from sight around the corner. Finally snapping out of his daze, he turned to the elevator that would take him to the lab with a sigh of disgust.

"I hate jury duty," he muttered to himself.

* * *

His lab was a mess.

He didn't mind the mess though. As long as it didn't interfere with his work, then he didn't care about the tools and machines bits lying everywhere. In fact, he kinda had a chaotic system to it all. The others liked to joke that Tony had a system to it that only he understood, but it was actually very true.

His desk was a mess too. Projects he hadn't gotten too yet, half finished blueprints, a half eaten sandwich. This was the only part of his workshop that wasn't a part of his chaotic organization. This was a literal mess to him.

He walked over to it and frowned. He then shoved everything off onto the floor. Ah, much better.

He sat down in his desk chair. "Jarv. Bring up everything you got on Loki."

"Of course, Sir," Jarvis stated.

Holographic screens were brought up all around him, videos of Loki or people he had interacted with or affected during the attack.

Searching and hacking into security footage was easy. He got footage on when Loki arrived in the Shield facility, when he was in Germany attacking people, and at the very tower when Loki was talking with him.

"Let's see what evidence we can find against you, Reindeer Games," Tony murmured under his breath.

Tony went to the street cameras in Germany, where his first public attack took place. He watched the footage of Loki aiming his staff at a German police car and making it flip over. He skipped ahead to when Loki was yelling at people to kneel. In all honesty Tony thought it was kinda sexy.

Once Steve jumped into the fight Tony stopped paying attention. When Loki pointed his weapon to the sky Tony knew that he was aiming at the quinjet. As the fight went on between Steve and Loki he noticed that he could keep his eyes off Loki.

Once Tony saw himself pop into view he decided to check out the S.H.I.E.L.D. footage.

There wasn't much information to gather from there besides Loki mind controlling Clint and getting him to kill a few people. Another thing that he noticed was that when people were overtaken by that scepter or as Tony called it, the glowstick of destiny, and watched as their eyes would turn a bright blue.

Tony went over to the footage of him and Loki talking, more like arguing (like children), in the tower.

He watched the part where the robots took off his armor and stored it away. He fast forward to where he was slipping the bracelets onto his wrists, trying to keep his movement unnoticeable by the crazy god talking to him, intent on killing him no doubt.

As Tony kept watching he noticed that Loki's eyes were getting more blue. When Loki tried to overtake his mind he noticed that Loki's eyes were practically glowing. How did he not notice it earlier?

Tony recalled a conversation between him and the rest of the Avengers. Somehow a game started up between all six of them. The objective of the game was to guess everyone's eye color. When all six of them went they moved onto people they knew.

Tony picked Pepper, Steve picked Peggy, Banner picked Selvig, Natasha picked Fury, Clint picked Coulson, and Thor picked Loki.

Tony had answered with blue and Thor said he was wrong. Tony just took it as his eyes seeing a different color, but it made sense now.

_Loki was innocent._


	2. Tony Ruins Clint's Shoes (Avoid The Pool Of Vomit

All night, Tony kept tossing and turning, unable to sleep whatsoever. Nightmares kept waking him in the night, visions of Loki, pleading with him, begging Tony to save him as he was beaten and hurt by his torturers. Tony would wake in cold sweat panting hard, looking around with wide eyes, Loki's screams echoing in his head.

When he eventually did fall asleep, it seemed like only seconds before he was being shaken awake again by Bruce. If it had been anyone else, Tony may have very well gotten Jarvis to get the Ironman suit to chase them away. But since Bruce needed to stay calm, Tony settled for some well chosen curse words before allowing Bruce to drag him from his comfy bed.

As soon as Tony stepped foot out of the elevator, he ditched Bruce and made a beeline to the kitchen where Steve was making breakfast for the rest of the team.

Without bothering to greet everyone else, he walked over to the coffee machine.

"Morning, Tony," Steve said brightly, but Tony barely heard him.

"Coffee," he murmured back as a reply.

Clint snorted at Steve's baffled look. "Don't bother, man," he said to the super soldier as Tony started up the coffee machine. "You won't get a proper answer out of him until he's had his morning coffee."

"Coffee," Tony agreed.

A few minutes later the coffee machine was done and Tony had filled his cup to the brim with the boiling hot brown substance before taking a long drink from it, most likely burning his mouth in the process.

"Ah, much better," Tony said, smacking his lips in satisfaction. "Did you say something, Steve?"

Steve rolled his eyes as Clint gave him an 'I-told-you-so' look. "Yes, actually. I said, good morning."

"Oh, right. Morning then," Tony said before going right back to burning the rest of his mouth.

Steve shook his head but didn't bother chastising Tony's coffee addiction. "Thor will be here in roughly half an hour. Do you have everything you need?"

Tony choked on his coffee. He'd completely forgotten about Thor and Loki's trial. Stupid, slow, sleep deprived brain!

"Uh, yeah. I've downloaded it onto my phone," he said, pulling it out from his back pocket, tapping away at the screen.

Steve frowned at the small device. "Tony, the phone's only for the trial. You won't be on it the whole trip, do you understand?"

Tony restrained himself from rolling his eyes. "Yes, _mother_ ," he said sarcastically.

"Tony, I'm serious—"

Fortunately for Tony, Steve was cut off as a bright, blinding light lit up the outside balcony. It disappeared to reveal Thor standing there with his hammer in hand looking grim.

"You're early," Tony noticed as Thor walked into the living area.

Thor looked at him apologetically. "Terribly sorry, Man of Iron. I thought it better to come early rather than late."

"It's Tony, and don't worry about it," the genius said, sounding as if he cared more about Thor getting his name right then whether Thor was on time or not.

Thor turned to Steve. "I'm assuming the others have agreed to go?" He asked hopefully.

"Yes, of course," Steve assured him.

"Reluctantly," Tony muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Steve chose to ignore him. "Breakfast?" Steve asked the Thunder god and Thor brightened slightly.

"I suppose I can spare a few moments to eat," Thor agreed.

A half hour later after Thor had eaten the food Steve had given him and cleared out every Pop Tart box that Tony had bought for him, Thor decided that they had better get going so as not to be late for Loki's trail.

In Tony's defence, he'd never travelled via Bifrost before in his entire life. So when the journey ended in five seconds flat leaving Tony dizzy and disoriented, he doubled over as he threw up on Clint's shoes, you can't exactly blame him.

"Ugh! Dude, gross!" Clint half yelled, his face twisted in a look of disgust as he kicked off his puked on shoes.

"Sorry," Tony mumbled, clutching his stomach tightly, a look of queasiness on his face as he tried not to puke again.

"Do not fret." Tony looked up to see a guy in golden armour that shimmered in the light, half blinding him. Talk about a fashion statement. "I've seen much worse effects on others who travel through the Bifrost."

Thor smiled at the man. "This is my good friend, Heimdal, everyone."

"Great, really. Do you have a paper bag?" Tony asked with slight sarcasm, but slightly literal as his face turned steadily more green.

Thor looked worryingly at his friend. "Are you alright?" He asked going over to him.

"Fine, fine," Tony said, waving him off. "Let's just get going."

"I have summoned horses for you to ride to the castle," Heimdal informed them.

"We're not late for the trial are we?" Thor asked quickly but Heimdal shook his head.

"You still have a little time before it begins," Heimdal said and Thor gave a relieved sigh.

Tony didn't understand why Thor cared so much considering how many times Thor had told them of Loki's betrayal towards him. But he supposed it had something to do with them being Brothers. They did say that blood was thicker than water. Even if they weren't related.

"Can we get going before Tony pukes again?" Clint asked, his expression one of annoyance.

Tony sent him a light glare, but Thor didn't seem to notice as he nodded. "Yes. Come along."

...

"My friends meet my Father, Odin," Thor said, gesturing to an older man.

"Nice to meet you, Odin," Steve said, holding out his hand for Odin to shake. Odin shook Steve's hand.

Tony leaned over to Natasha. "He looks like Santa," He whispered. Natasha turned to him and smacked him in the back of the head. "Ow! Why did you do that?!"

"You know why," Natasha said, rolling her eyes. Tony had half the mind to stick his tongue out at her but thought better of it. He could hear Clint snickering behind them and expertly flipped him off without anyone else seeing.

"Come. The trial is about to begin," Odin stated. Tony narrowed his eyes as 'Santa' walked away, the other's following after him. Something was off about the guy. Tony just didn't know what. But whatever it was, Tony didn't like it.

As they walked through the halls of Asgard everyone kept looking around in amazement, but Tony's mind was too preoccupied to appreciate the castle decor.

He kept thinking about the evidence that he found, evidence that proved Loki innocent.

He knew that he had to bring it up, but what if something bad happened to both him and Loki? Would the others think he'd lost it? Probably. But he couldn't say nothing either.

This trial seemed a lot more trouble than it was worth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒And now the fun starts to begin 😈✒


	3. Tony Giggles About A Frostbitten Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

They had all taken their seats in the rows around the grand room. Tony sat beside Steve pressing hard at his phone screen. The damned thing wouldn't work. He supposed it was because of there being no Wi-Fi but it was still driving him mad. What was he meant to do to entertain himself for the next five minutes? Sit there like a normal person? Hell no.

He poked Steve in the side. "Steve, I'm bored," he complained, making his voice as whiny as possible in hope that Steve would do something about it.

"It's about to start, Tony. Just sit quietly for a few minutes," Steve whispered to him as he looked around nervously at the large crowd that had gathered in the stands of the courtroom.

Tony huffed, sitting back in his seat with his arms crossed over his chest. "Meany," he muttered under his breath, looking sulky.

"Look!" Clint said, sitting up straighter and pointing as the doors opened, a hushed silence falling over the crowd as four guards led a figure between them into the room.

"Loki," Tony breathed and felt his heart clench painfully. God, he looked _awful_. There were dark purple circles under his eyes and a large cut across his left cheek. On his wrists were bruises from the metal handcuffs that he wore. Tony knew that look on the god's face, the look of a tortured soul. He'd seen the same look in the mirror when he had gotten back from Afghanistan. Tony remembered his dreams and felt sick, wondering if that had actually happened to Loki.

"He looks like he's been through hell and back," Bruce whispered.

"He probably deserved whatever came his way," Clint whispered as he clenched and unclenched his fist. Natasha whacked him on the back of the head. "Ouch." He said childishly as he rubbed the back of his head. Natasha just glared at him.

"Silence," Odin said, his voice echoing through the room. "Loki, son of Laufey, you have been accused of crimes against Midgard and sentenced to banishment from Asgard, never to return."

Tony looked at Clint to see him grinning like an idiot. Tony turned back to Loki to see that he had tears in his eyes. "Please, Father I—"

"Quiet!" Odin said over him. "I will not let you spread your poisonous lies."

"What lies?" Steve muttered looking confused, but Tony had an idea. Loki must have pleaded that he was innocent. That he was controlled. Which meant that Odin must have waved it aside, saying that it was lies even though it was the truth.

That made Tony hate the guy even more.

"You've been sentenced to live out the rest of your days on Niflheim," Odin said.

Tony could sense the fear that was radiating off of Loki. Pure fear laid within his eyes. Tony knew he had to intervene. The good thing is that he was a pro at getting all eyes on him. The bad thing is that he was a pro at annoying the shit out of someone within 5 seconds.

"Um...Mr. Odin, Sir," Tony said, raising his hand like he was in school. Odin raised an eyebrow at the genius.

"Tony, what are you doing?" Steve whispered.

"Proving Loki innocent," Tony said while getting up.

"Sit down!" Steve said, probably thinking that Tony was mucking around for the sake of it, but Tony was already gone, walking down the aisle towards where Loki was being held who in turn stared at Tony like he was a madman.

Tony vaguely wondered how the people would react if he shouted 'you can't handle the truth', but he doubted it would end well. He didn't think Odin had a sense of humour. "I plead for Loki's innocence," he said loudly and saw Odin glare suddenly.

"Loki is a criminal," Odin said stiffly.

"No, actually, he's not," Tony said defiantly crossing his arms over his chest. "See, I believe that Loki may well have been controlled by the Glow Stick of Destiny, aka, the sceptre, during the whole attack."

"Controlled by whom?" Odin asked and Tony frowned.

"Well, I don't actually know who—"

"Do you have any proof of your claims?" Odin said, a smirk growing on his face.

"I did!" Tony said, feeling frustrated. "But my phone's useless here—"

"So you have no proof? How are we meant to believe you then?" Odin asked.

"Because I saw it! His eyes were blue," Tony growled out. Man, this guy was annoying the fuck outta him.

"And we're meant to just take your word for it?" The Allfather said. "You expect us to believe a weak minded mortal?"

"Hey!" Tony said indignantly.

"It seems to me that you may just be in league with the prisoner," Odin said and Tony heard his friends shout out something that he didn't think was complimentary in Odin's favour. "Perhaps you thought you could make up any story to make Loki a free man."

Thor spoke. "That isn't true—"

"Silence, Thor," Odin said harshly. "You have been misled, having thought this mortal is a friend rather than a foe. I say he should share Loki's punishment."

"Father no!" Thor protested, but Odin was no longer listening.

"That is my final sentence. Loki and this mortal shall be sent to Niflheim," Odin said.

"Wait, what?" Tony asked, finally catching on to what Odin had said. The guards roughly pulled Loki up to stand. A tear fell down Loki's cheek as he looked at Odin. "You can't do that. I didn't do shit! And neither did Loki!"

"Exactly what a traitor would say," Odin said, waving his hand and Tony stared his eyes wide as a portal appeared in front of them. Inside all he could see was a barren landscape made of ice and snowfall ragging. "I hereby declare Loki Laufeyson and this mortal banished from Asgard for all time!"

Tony heard his friends shouting, but didn't get the chance to even look at them as one of the guards shoved him from behind, straight through the portal and he felt himself free falling, the world a cascade of colour.

* * *

Tony had to admit then when he was spat out of that swirling mess they call a portal, he was screaming like a little girl at the top of his lungs.

He landed on the ground on his feet which, unfortunately, gave out under him and fell face first into soft but cold powder on the ground around him, though it still knocked the air out of his lungs.

He groaned softly as he pushed himself onto his hands and knees, breathing heavily trying to get air back into his system, and glanced around seeing nothing but the white powder on the ground which he realised a second later was snow.

And fuck was it _cold_!

Shivering, Tony rose to his feet, wrapping his arms around him, hugging himself tightly, but it did nothing to help. He was wearing only a plain shirt and jeans after all.

A second later a yell sounded through the air and Tony whipped around finding Loki lying in the snow, a look of astonishment on his face. The handcuffs he'd worn were no longer there. Tony assumed they had been taken off before they'd pushed him through the portal, though the bruises on his wrists looked more prominent. "You alright?" Tony asked casually, seeing his breath fog up in the cold air. Loki looked up at him in surprise.

"You—" Loki stood so fast that Tony blinked several times before realising Loki was in front of him in two second flat. "What on Asgard is _wrong_ with you?!"

"Well, actually, we're not on Asgard anymore...in fact, where the hell are we?" Tony said looking around at the frozen landscape.

Loki sighed in disgust. "If you had been paying attention, you would know we are in Niflheim. The most unpopulated and coldest world in the whole Nine realms!"

Tony stared at him uncomprehendingly. "You've completely lost me."

Loki glared at him. "Why did you do that? Standing up against the Allfather like you did. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"What? Defend you? Maybe because you're innocent! As for getting myself killed, I do that on a daily basis. But as far as I can see, I ain't dead," Tony said, gesturing at himself to show he had all his limbs attached to him.

Loki shook his head. "You're mortal, Stark. You won't last here an hour. You'll freeze to death."

"Oh," Tony frowned at the ground and felt snow fall from the sky into his hair. "That kinda sucks. But I couldn't let that asshole, or Father, or whatever, just get away with what he did."

"You mean Odin?" Loki asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, your Father's a bitch," Tony said brushing snow out of his hair.

"He's not my Father," Loki said, glaring at Tony.

"W-whatever," Tony said, rolling his eyes. God, it was cold.

Loki's face transformed into something that almost looked like concern if he hadn't been glaring through it. "Come on. I need to get you somewhere with shelter before you freeze to death," Loki told him, taking his arm and dragging him forward.

"Oh g-gee thanks. Very reassuring. A-always wondered what i-it would feel l-like to freeze to d-death," Tony said sarcastically, shivering violently.

"Are you always so sarcastic?" Loki asked in a tone that showed his annoyance.

"U-usually m-more," Tony admitted. "Why do y-you think I'll f-freeze within an h-hour? Do you think I-I can't handle it?"

Loki looked like he was trying not to kill Tony before the weather did. "This is Niflheim—"

"You t-told me that a-already", Tony muttered under his breath.

Loki ignored this, "—it is colder than anything you would have ever experienced. It is estimated that a mortal man would last an hour before he perished from the cold."

"W-well, I ain't n-no ordinary m-man," Tony stated, trying for a grin but figured it was more a grimace as his face felt frozen. His fingers were already numb from the cold.

Loki glanced at him. "No, you're not, are you?"

"Why aren't you c-cold?" Tony asked, feeling jealous suddenly of the other man who didn't even seem fazed by the freezing weather.

Loki seemed to shut down on himself, his eyes turning dark as he looked away. "Shut up and walk, Stark," was all he said.

 _'Interesting_ ,' Tony thought. "W-where are w-we even g-going?"

"I told you, shelter," Loki said and Tony groaned.

"H-how f-far i-is i-it?" He asked, his stuttering growing even worse.

Loki held Tony's arm tighter as he was pulled along, but the genius could barely feel the touch anymore. "Hopefully not too much further," he said and Tony mutely nodded.

Tony wondered if he would get frostbite before he died. He'd hate to lose his nose before dying. He wouldn't look very good on his deathbed. Though really, he doubted he would get any funeral service out here. He wondered if Loki would bury him, or if he'd just dump him in the snow and keep walking. Tony giggled at the thought.

"What's so funny, Stark?" Loki asked as Tony continued to think of more possible deaths in store for him.

Tony shook his head, a ringing in his ears. It was annoying him. Why was everything so blurry? And why couldn't he feel his toes?

Tony fell to his knees, the grip on his arm releasing him. His breathing was coming out in sharp gasps of air, the coldness of it making his lungs burn. He tried his hardest to keep his eyes open, but it was no good. He could hear Loki's voice echoing in his head, calling his name over and over but he couldn't form a response.

His eyes slipped shut as he fell away into darkness.

* * *

Warmth.

That was the first thing Tony felt once he'd gained consciousness. It was so very, very warm. Behind his closed eyelids he could see a bright orangy yellow glow. A soft crackle could be heard directly in front of him from where he laid on his side.

He opened his eyes to see a fire burning cheerfully in front of him, crackling as the timber burned away. Sitting up, he looked around and saw he was in a cave...made of ice? Weird.

"Awake then?"

Tony looked around the fire and saw Loki opposite it, looking back at Tony curiously.

"Yup," Tony said, popping the 'p'.

"I wasn't sure you would ever wake again," Loki said and Tony raised an eyebrow.

"You sound disappointed," he pointed out and Loki rolled his eyes.

"That isn't what I meant," he said, "I meant that you were almost completely dead when we got to this cave. Your fingers had started turning blue. If it wasn't for how quick I was to heal them you would now be fingerless."

"Awe, you do care," Tony said, grinning at the god.

"No, I don't. I just thought it would be very boring on my own on this blasted realm," Loki said with a scowl.

"Well, that's just terrific," Tony sighed. "So how are we going to get off this 'realm' as you put it?"

Loki glared at him. "There is no 'we' and there's no way to get off this realm."

"Course there is. We can build that Bifrost majjige you have on Asgard," Tony said, ignoring the 'we' comment.

Loki laughed without humour. "That would never work. You don't have the resources or the skill."

"You underestimate me," Tony said stubbornly with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Besides, if I don't have the resources then how did you make that fire, hm?"

"I summoned it," Loki said. "With magic," he added to Tony's confused look.

"Well then, you can summon the things I need, right?" Tony said but Loki was already shaking his head.

"I can only summon small things. Food, fire, and such things like that are easy for me. Besides, you would need Heimdall's sword and I cannot summon magical items."

"Oh," Tony frowned at the fire. "So, we're stuck? Great. Just great."

"You should try being in my shoes. Being stuck here with a narcissistic piece of shit is kinda annoying," Loki said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah. Well try being stuck on a frozen rock with someone who has no regard for human life!" Tony shouted back feeling suddenly annoyed. Where did he get off calling him shit like that? Who the fuck did he think he was?

Loki looked down at his feet. Tony, realising what he said, felt guilt seep into him and tried to apologise for it. "Loki, I'm sorry. I didn't mean—"

"Save it, Stark," Loki said, sending a harsh glare Tony's way. He then looked back down at his feet.

The guilt got even stronger, starting to eat away at Tony. He knew he messed up. "Loki," He said cautiously. "I'm sorry."

Loki didn't look up at him.

"Loki—?"

"I'm going out for a bit," Loki said suddenly standing up, cutting Tony's apology off. "I need air. Don't leave the cave or else you'll freeze to death."

With that said, he turned and left, not looking back at Tony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒The chapters are going to get longer btw. Usually I'd do 1000-1500 words but now I'm doing 2000-3000 words, so yeah. Hope you liked this chapter!✒


	4. Loki Literally Feel's Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

Tony sat in the cave, warming his hands by the fire. He looked at the world beyond the cave, the frozen world. It was snowing heavily. You could see nothing but the quickly falling snow for miles.

"Goddammit, Tony," he whispered to himself. "Why did you say that?"

Tony got up and walked towards the opening of the cave. As soon as he moved away from the fire he felt the cold grab him in its clutch. Tony felt the hairs on his arms stand straight up.

"I am going to turn into a fucking Tonysicle," he muttered, hugging himself.

He sighed tiredly. He knew he'd probably been asleep for a while, but he still felt exhausted. His muscles ached and all he wanted to do was sleep. He had no idea where Loki had gone either. He didn't want to sleep without knowing if Loki was okay.

Oh God, he was already starting to feel concerned for the sociopath. He needed to get outta here. _Fast_.

But the question was _how_?

Tony had no idea's. He was just too hungry, too cold and too fucking miserable at the moment to think of any brilliant idea's.

He headed back into the cave and laid down on the icy ground as close to the fire as he dared to keep himself warm and closed his eyes, hoping against hope that when he woke up he'd find himself at home in his bed, this being all a terrible dream.

* * *

Loki kept walking and walking. He kept hearing Odin's voice in his head.

_'In the aftermath of the battle I went into the temple and I found a baby. Small for a giant's offspring. Abandoned, suffering, left to die...'_

_'...Laufeyson.'_

Loki, shaking his head side to side, tried to rid himself of the memory.

He knew that he would have to return soon. He would have to make sure that the mortal didn't leave the cave and get himself killed by looking for him.

He sat down in the snow, the cold soothing against his pale skin. But all he could think about was how unnatural it was. He shouldn't find it soothing. He should have found it uncomfortable, freezing him like cold fire. But it didn't.

Slowly, very very slowly, he let the glamour slip, watching his hands in the snow turn a frosty blue, spreading on his arms like ink on paper. He knew even though he couldn't see it, that his eyes were no longer forest green but ruby red.

_'Laufeyson.'_

Loki squeezed his eyes shut, feeling tears run down his face but only had them freeze halfway down, his skin that cold and the weather just as bad.

But nothing about him ever felt colder than his heart. It always felt like it was encased in ice. He imagined cracks appearing in it, everytime he was betrayed, hurt, tormented. He knew that one day that it would shatter, breaking his heart into pieces that could never be fixed.

He wondered what it would be like for someone to care. To care about him and him alone. That if anyone did anything to harm him then they would destroy the person that hurt him. The thought both soothed him and made his heart constrict, wanting to be loved, but knowing it would never happen.

He stood suddenly, forcing the glamour back over himself, and turned back in the direction of the cave. He was lucky to have found it when he did. He had dragged Tony through the snow after the genius had blacked out. He had pulled him along, wondering if Tony would die and worrying that he would. He didn't want it to happen. As annoying as Tony had been, he had stood up for him, and Loki couldn't bear to be stranded here as he watched the only person, who so far hadn't betrayed him, die.

When he had seen the cave he'd almost cried out in relief as he dragged Tony into it. The relief however was short-lived when he saw how pale Tony had gotten and that the man's fingertips had slowly turned blue, the first signs of frostbite.

Panicked, Loki had used all his energy to heal him, summoning a fire in hope that it would warm the man. When he'd finished, though he was completely drained of energy, he couldn't help but smile as Tony continued to breathe, his face pinker than before, his fingers slightly red, but no longer frostbitten. Loki was thankful for those little specks of improvement in Tony's condition.

Loki's head had started pounding and his muscles had ached. He now had the responsibility to care for the mortal, something that he could barely do for himself.

After a few minutes of Loki regaining his energy he heard Tony grumble in his sleep.

"Five more minutes, Pepper," he had mumbled.

 _'I hate to break it to you, but you're no longer on Earth, Stark_ ,' Loki had thought with a wry smirk.

Heading back now, Loki didn't know what he was meant to do now. After what Tony had said, he didn't know how he was meant to act when he got back.

Fortunately, it didn't matter as when he got back, Tony was fast asleep beside the fire that was slowly going down.

Loki made sure to be quiet as he went over to the sleeping genius and saw that he was shivering, obviously from the cold. He sighed, kneeling down beside him and gently touching Tony's face and was surprised to find it warm despite how cold it was.

Tony shifted, opening his eyes sleepily. "Loki?"

Loki grimaced, taking his hand away. "I didn't mean to wake you."

Tony yawned. "It's fine. At least I know you're safe."

Loki blinked. Why would he care if he were safe?

"I'm sorry, by the way. I didn't mean to be an ass. I know you didn't—"

"Anthony, I forgive you," Loki cut across him and Tony shivered though Loki didn't think this time it was from the cold.

"You've never called me that before," Tony said looking up at him. "It's always Stark or Tony."

"Do you not wish for me to call you that?" Loki asked.

Tony shook his head. "No. I like the way you say it."

Loki slowly nodded. "Alright then. Anthony it is."

Tony frowned at him suddenly. "Aren't you cold?"

Loki bit his lip. "The cold doesn't bother me (anyway)."

"Why not?" Tony asked curiously.

"I do not wish to speak of this," Loki said shortly.

"Right, right. Sorry," Tony sighed. "We should sleep, because, you know, we're exhausted and cranky and shit."

"You have an incredible use of words," Loki said and Tony grinned.

"Lay down, will ya. Or are you planning on sleeping standing up?" Tony asked, grabbing Loki's hand and pulling him down beside him. "I'm freezing, so you can keep me warm."

"I—"

Loki didn't get the chance to protest as Tony cuddled up into his side, resting his head on Loki's chest and closed his eyes. "Night, Loki."

Loki was almost tempted to point out that it wasn't a guarantee that it was actually night time, but decided against it, knowing that Tony wouldn't really care about technicalities. "Goodnight, Anthony."

* * *

Tony woke the next morning, or at least what he assumed was morning, curled up on the floor, a blanket thrown over him. He sat up, his back sore from lying on the ground and looked around for Loki, spotting him sitting by the renewed fire that burned brightly.

That when Tony saw the food.

"Sweet mother of Jesus!" He exclaimed, scrambling up and going over to Loki, who smiled at him. Tony grabbed the nearest piece of food, which was a pizza slice still warm straight out the box, and took a bite, humming in satisfaction. "Oh, this is amazing!"

"I'm glad you so very approve," Loki said, who was eating a sandwich containing who knew what.

"How did you even—"

"Magic, Anthony," Loki said and Tony nodded, too busy eating to get a better answer out of him.

Finally, once Tony had eaten enough to feel as if he wasn't starving anymore, he sat back, propped up against the cave wall and sighed. "That was amazing."

"I'm glad," Loki said with a smile.

"What else can you do?" Tony asked.

"I can only do small things with my magic. Like summon things from other realms and of course make a fire."

"Can you teleport us to Earth?" Tony asked, suddenly aware of conversation.

Loki sighed. "I can't teleport us there, but I can bring small items from Midgard or any other world here."

Tony's shoulders slumped. "Oh."

His mind was infuriating blank. He had to find a way to get back to Midg-Earth! Ugh, Loki's words were rubbing off on him. He ran a hand through his hair frustratedly before letting in fall to his side...

...and felt something hard (eheh, that sounded wrong).

He frowned, looking down and put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small, thin, rectangular object.

His eyes went wide. "That's it!" He shouted.

Loki looked at him. "What's it?"

"I still have my phone!" Tony said, excitedly.

"Can you call one of your friends on Midgard?" Loki asked.

"I doubt I have service out here, but yeah I'll give it a try," Tony said as he tried to turn his phone on.

Nothing happened.

Tony groaned. "No battery."

"So you can't call them?" Loki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Tony said, "but I have another idea."

"As long as it doesn't end with us dead then I'm okay with it," Loki said.

Tony grinned. "You said you can bring items from Midg-ack! Earth. I meant Earth. Damn your sayings," he sighed as Loki smirked smugly. "The point is, if you can bring items from Earth to here, then you should be able to send items back, right?"

Loki slowly nodded. "I suppose I could, but I don't understand what you would send through that can help us."

"Well, I haven't made it yet," Tony said to which Loki sighed.

"I told you, I can't summon resources for you—"

"That's the best part! You don't need to!" Tony held up the phone. "I have everything I need right here."

Loki frowned. "How does that help us? We can't send a phone through, it wouldn't do us any good."

"I'm not sending it through as this. I can make a tracking device out of it. We keep the tracker with us and then send through a remote that will show our location. That way my friends can find us," Tony explained excitedly.

Loki didn't look convinced. "This doesn't sound like a foolproof plan, Anthony. How can you guarantee that your friends will find it, or even know it's from you? How will they manage to learn to navigate it? How will they even get to us?"

"I know it's not the greatest idea in the world, okay?" Tony sighed. "But it's all we have at the moment. I'll write my name on the side of it or something so they know it's from me. Bruce is smart, he'll figure out how to use it. As for getting to us...well, they'll find a way. I know they will."

"I don't think—"

"Please?" Tony looked at the ground. "I need to be able to do something. I can't sit here and not do anything. This is a chance. A chance to get out of here. But I can't do it without your help."

Loki frowned, reaching out and lifting Tony's head so their eyes met. "I'll help you."

Tony's face brightened. "You will?!"

"I will," Loki stated and Tony whooped.

"I'll get started. Oh man, this is gonna be amazing!" Tony said a crazy light in his eyes.

Loki just laughed softly at the genius's enthusiasm.

* * *

"Alright. I think it's done!"

Loki looked over from where he had been stroking at the fire to keep it burning.

Tony's face was a mess of grime and dirt, but he was grinning regardless, proudly holding up a small device in his hand.

Loki went over to him, taking the tracking device that was slightly smaller than his hand. "This is it?"

"Hey! I put alotta effort into that thing. That's like a whole...a whole _hour_ of my life gone. Poof!" He spread his hands to prove his point in a miniature sign language explosion.

Loki shook his head. Sometimes Tony's immaturity just has no words for him to say.

"So, you can teleport it right? In the Avengers Tower?" Tony asked.

"Yes," Loki said, "but I need a minute to accumulate my energy."

"Accumulate? What's with the fancy words all of a sudden?" Tony asked to which Loki ignored him. "Just remember it has to be the Avengers Tower, okay? Steve will find it."

"Steve? The Captain?" Loki asked, looking at the genius.

"Well, yeah. I mean—" Tony, despite the cold, had a red tint to his cheeks. He was...blushing? "Steve and I are good friends, you know? He'll be able to find it. I know he will."

Loki frowned slightly. Did Tony like Steve? But no, that couldn't be right, could it? Of course not! Why would he care anyway? No, he didn't care! Why was he thinking about this?

Tony was still rambling. "So yeah. Just remember it has to be in the Tower—"

"I know, Anthony. Stop talking," Loki said irritatedly. He didn't know why he suddenly felt so irate towards the genius all of a sudden. He told himself that he just wanted to make sure he didn't screw up where it was meant to go. No other reason.

"You got this Rock of Ages," Tony whispered to Loki as he gathered energy to teleport the device.

"I don't need your support, Anthony," Loki said, closing his eyes to focus.

"I'm just giving the support that no one else has," Tony whispered, almost to himself.

Loki opened his eyes. _'It's true though. Not many people have supported me in my choices_ ,' he thought sadly.

Tony's eyes little up as he watched magic surround the device that was once his phone. Then in a bright flash of green light, it was gone.

"Awesome," Tony whispered. Loki could help but smile at the genius. "Do you think it worked? That it went to the Tower?"

"I don't know," Loki admitted.

Tony bit his lip but nodded as if he expected this answer. "I guess all we have to do now is wait."

"I guess so," Loki sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒I love this book. My fav one so far. Mostly because I'm writing it with my boyfriend, but also because it's my fav plot idea. You're going to love it!✒


	5. The Past History

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

Tony was impatient. It had only been what at least felt like a few weeks and Tony couldn’t help but ask Loki for the third time today, how long it had been since they had sent the device. He had been bugging Loki non-stop about the tracking device and it was starting to drive Loki crazy.

“It has been only a few weeks, Anthony,” Loki answered iratably. Or at least, what he thought was a few weeks. He wasn’t entirely sure.

“Then why haven't any of them tried to come and get us?” Tony whined from where he sat on the floor.

“Maybe they don’t know how to get here,” Loki said. He knew the real reason why the Avengers hadn’t come yet, but he could tell Tony because then he would leave him. He would then be forced to live out the rest of his days in Niflheim alone, like he was supposed to.

“Bruce is smart enough to get them here and bring us back to Earth," Tony stated, throwing a piece of firewood into the flames he was sitting near.

“Maybe the beast is out instead of your friend,” Loki said absentmindedly.

“Don’t even go there, Loki,” Tony snapped.

“But what if it’s true? What if the beast finally ran off?” Loki smirked.

“Just don’t," Tony sighed, too tired to start with the god at the moment.

Loki just continued to smirk which only irritated Tony.

“And stop smirking at me," he added, chucking another piece of wood into the fire.

Loki held up his hands in surrender, but Tony saw the smirk still on his face as he turned away.

“I’m bored!” Tony complained suddenly.

“What exactly do you expect me to do about that?” Loki asked, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t know! Just do something before I lose my mind from boredom," Tony groaned.

Loki shook his head. “I’m not here to entertain you.”

“But, _Lokiii_!” Tony said, making his voice as whiny as possible.

“What would you like me to do, Anthony!” Loki asked, the annoying whining voice getting to him.

“Talk to me. What’s something you like talking about?” Tony asked, genuinely curious.

Loki shrugged as he sat down on the cold ground though he didn't really feel it. “I don’t really like to talk about anything.” This, of course, was a lie. He did like to talk. He just never had anyone he could talk to before. He didn’t know how to start now.

“Well…” Tony frowned. “What about where you came from?”

Loki felt his stomach drop. “What?” He asked, that British sounding accent coming out like it always did when he was startled.

“Well, you know. Thor said you were adopted," Tony said.

“Oh”, Loki looked away. “So?”

“So, are you from Asgard?” Tony asked.

Loki swallowed, not wanting to talk about this in the slightest, but knowing Tony would only pester him if he tried to shut him out. “I’m not from Asgard, no. At least, I wasn’t born there.”

“Where were you born then?” Tony asked, his curiosity peaking.

Loki hesitated. “Jotunheim.”

Tony frowned. “Jota-what?”

Loki rolled his eyes. “Yo-tun-hame," he pronounced slowly.

“Ah, right," Tony said. “So, what’s Yo-tun-hame?” He asked, sounding it out before grinning when he pronounced it more or less correctly.

Loki sighed. “It’s a realm. Another world. A place of...giants. Frost giants. It’s always cold. Not as cold as Niflheim, but cold enough," he explained reluctantly.

“How many cold places are there?” Tony groaned. “I wanna go somewhere warm!”

Loki gave a small smirk. “Many. But Jotunheim is the second coldest. Not even frost giants go into Niflheim.”

“What do you mean? How could they go into Niflheim? I thought all these places were a single world?” Tony said, frowning in confusion.

“They are," Loki sighed. "It’s complicated. Think of it like states and continents. All the world's connect to each other. Asgard connects to Midgard through the Bifrost. Jotunheim and Niflheim don’t need a Bifrost though as they do. Asgard and Midgard are separate worlds, like continents. Jotunheim and Niflheim are more a continent divided in half. There’s a border that crosses over into Jotunheim to Niflheim and vice versa.”

“Why wouldn’t they just have it as just Jotunheim or just Niflheim? Why divide it?” Tony said.

Loki took a minute to answer. “Because Niflheim is colder...and more dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” Tony said. “If you don’t want frostbite maybe.”

Loki shook his head. “There are dangerous creatures out here that would gladly tear you to pieces and feast on your flesh.”

“Aren’t you so cheerful," Tony said sarcastically but shuddered despite himself.

Loki smirked. “Indeed I am. Thanks for noticing, Anthony.”

Tony rolled his eyes at Loki’s snarkiness. “So, Niflheim and Jotunheim are connected. We could just walk to Jotunheim right now if we wanted to.”

“Yes and no. I could walk to Jotunheim if I desired. You however, would perish from the cold before we even got there," Loki said, not rudely, more just fact. “But I do not desire to go there as it would do us little good. The last time I was there...it didn’t go well.”

Tony frowned. “Wait, so are you a frost giant then?”

Loki scowled. “That’s none of your concern, Stark.”

“You are, aren’t you!” Tony exclaimed before looking Loki up and down. “You’re not very, well, giant.”

“I wouldn’t talk about what is and isn’t giant if I were you, being as short as you are," Loki said teasingly.

“Hey!” Tony said loudly, his voice echoing off the walls of the cave. “That’s mean!” He pouted. He had always been sensitive about his height.

Loki smirked though his heart wasn’t really in it. “If it matters so much to you, then yes. I am a frost giant.”

“Really? Cool!” Tony said, suddenly excited before pausing. “Er, I didn’t mean that as a pun.”

Loki shook his head wondering if he could kill Tony and make it look like an accident, before realising that he could kill him without making it look like an accident and still no one would know.

“So, if you’re a frost giant, then your parents are too, right?” Tony asked and saw Loki close in on himself. He realised he was treading on thin ice by the expression on Loki’s face.

“Yes, they were," Loki said stiffly.

“Oh”, Tony grimaced remembering that Loki was adopted which meant his parents were most likely dead. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anythi—"

“No, Anthony, it’s fine.” Loki sighed. “My Father...my biological Father, did not want me. Compared to frost giants, I was small. My Father left me, abandoned me, on a frozen rock. He left me to die, to be most likely devoured by some Jotunheim creature.”

Tony bit his lip. “What about your mum? I mean, surely she wouldn’t have let your dad do that, right?”

Loki frowned. “I do not know who my Mother was. Whoever she was, she must not have cared enough about me if she let my Father toss me away like a broken saddle.”

Tony felt terrible for bringing this up. Why couldn’t he have just shut his mouth? But no, his curiosity just kept coming. “Is he still alive? Your Father?”

Loki looked at the icy ground. He was silent for so long that Tony thought he wasn’t going to speak again. When he looked up, Tony was shocked to see that Loki had tears in his eyes.

“Whoa, hey," Tony stood, going over to Loki and knelt down, pulling him close in a warm hug. Loki’s skin was ice cold. “I’m sorry. Shit, I’m so sorry, Lokes. I—"

Loki gave a broken laugh. "'Lokes'? Since when have you ever called me that?”

"Since about five seconds ago," Tony stated. "Look, I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have brought this up at all.”

"No," Loki sighed. “I just have trouble thinking about my Father. What he did to me," he shook his head. "It hurts, knowing he just abandoned me like that.”

Tony nodded. “My dad wasn’t the greatest either. He never gave a shit about me. But I just tried to not let that bother me and you shouldn’t either.”

Loki blinked back tears. “I just wish I knew why everyone I meet takes one look at me and thinks I’m not good enough.”

“I don’t think that about you," Tony muttered, but Loki didn’t hear.

“My Father isn’t dead, though," Loki said and Tony looked at him surprised. “I tried to kill him, tried tricking him to come to Asgard to murder him, but he didn’t take the bait. As far as I’m aware, he is still alive.”

“Wow," Tony said, looking impressed. "A living parent. That’s a first.”

“Must you?” Loki asked.

“I must," Tony admitted. "Both my parents are dead. If your dad wasn’t such a shithead I might’ve envied you.”

Loki smiled dryly. “Too bad, hm?”

Tony sighed. “I wish we could get outta here. How long have we even been here for?”

“Time is hard," Loki said. “Especially on other worlds. What would be three days here could be three months in another world.”

Tony sat bolt upright. “You didn’t say that! What if three weeks here has been three years on Midgard!” He shouted, panicking so much at the horrifying thought that Tony forgot to say Earth.

Loki looked down. “I don’t think it matters.”

“How could you say that!” Tony growled. “What if we get back to Midgard and all our friends are dead!”

“You mean your friends," Loki snapped.

Tony stood, pacing agitatedly. "I can’t believe you! Why didn’t you tell me this?!"

"Because I told you it doesn’t matter, Anthony! None of it does!" Loki yelled suddenly just as angry as Tony but at himself.

“Why?! Why doesn’t it matter?!” Tony yelled back.

“Because we are never going to get off this world!” Loki yelled. “Never! And that’s something you better get used to, Stark! We’re never leaving, never going to be rescued! And there’s nothing either of us can do about it!”

Tony stared at Loki, a hurt look on his face. Then he turned and walked away from Loki, sitting down in a corner of the cave, not looking back at Loki. Loki could tell that he was angry.

And he didn’t blame him in the slightest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒This chapter is shorter than the others but the next one will be longer with a lot more dRaMa! Or maybe its the one after that? Hm, I might have to check that✒


	6. Missing And Wishing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

Loki didn't know what to do. Tony was mad at him, that much was clear. The genius barely spoke to him and when he did, his tone was cold. He didn't look at him half the time. He mostly just slept. Loki thought that the cold was making Tony more tired and that's why he slept most of the time. But Loki knew the real reason was because Tony was avoiding having to talk to him.

At the moment, Tony was lying on the floor, a blanket that Loki had summoned beneath him to protect him from the icy cold ground as he stared with blank eyes at the fire that constantly burned. Loki was cooking something over the fire, some meat he'd gotten when he'd gone out hunting to distract himself from Tony's anger towards him. Plus, summoning food constantly was taxing on his magic and he needed it to conserve the fire.

"Want any?" Loki asked aloud as he took the meat off the stick he'd used to cook it and took a bite. Not bad. Not great either.

Tony mutely shook his head, not bothering to even look at Loki.

Loki looked down. He wished he could take back everything he'd said. But he couldn't. Maybe he'd been rude, but Tony had needed to understand that no-one was coming for them. They weren't ever going to be rescued. He didn't want Tony building up a false hope, only for it to be squashed after years of waiting for his friends to come for him.

Loki rested his head back against the cave wall, closing his eyes. The flames light flickered making colors swirl behind his closed eyelids and could almost believe that he was anywhere else but stranded in Niflheim.

"You know what I miss?"

Loki opened his eyes to look at Tony. The genius wasn't looking at him still but Loki was surprised to hear him speak at all. "What?"

Tony sighed. "I miss my coffee."

Loki blinked. "Coffee?"

"Yeah," Tony said. "I mean...I was just thinking how I'd wake up in the morning and Steve would be making everyone breakfast and I'd make a morning coffee." Tony smiled. "Clint would say that I acted like a zombie until I got some caffeine in me."

Loki slowly nodded. He didn't know what to say back. He didn't want to ruin Tony's seemingly improvinging mood. This was the most Tony had said to him in days. He didn't want to fuck it up by opening his mouth and saying something he'd regret.

Finally, Tony looked at him. "Do you miss anything?"

Loki swallowed. "I-I suppose I miss...I miss Thor."

Tony sat up, looking at him curiously."Really? I thought you hated him?"

Loki shook his head. "I don't. It seems like it, I know. But I don't hate him. He's my Brother. I never could hate him, even if I wanted to. And believe me, I wish I could sometimes."

Tony smiled. "You know, I never understood why you hated Thor. I know he lied about being your Brother, but he only did so you wouldn't be hurt. You know that, right?"

Loki looked at the fire. "I know."

"Then why did you tell him that you weren't?" Tony asked.

Loki looked back at Tony who had his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "I did it because..." Loki sighed. "You know I was controlled?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah."

"The person that did it threatened me, saying if I failed then he would kill the people I loved. Thor...he didn't know. No one did. I said he wasn't my Brother, acting like I hated him so he wouldn't be in danger," Loki explained.

"Oh," Tony said.

Loki smirked. "You're so good with words of comfort, Stark."

Tony stuck his tongue out at him.

"Stop that or else I'll cut it off," Loki teased.

Tony put his tongue back in his mouth and grinned. "I'd like to see you try."

Loki laughed, but it only lasted a moment before his smile suddenly fell. "I'm sorry for how I was acting before. I shouldn't have said the things I did."

"Don't worry 'bout it," Tony said. "You were right anyway. I keep thinking someones going to come rescue us but," he shook his head, "they're not. No one is. We're stuck here, forever."

Loki frowned. "Don't talk like that."

"It's the truth," Tony said, shrugging.

"No, it isn't," Loki stated firmly. "There is always another way, another solution. Always."

"Not this time," Tony said and Loki was shocked by the amount of hopelessness in Tony's tone.

He stood, going over to Tony and sat down beside him. "Anthony-"

He was cut short when Tony flung his arms around Loki, hugging him tightly. Loki sat frozen for a moment before slowly putting his arms around the smaller man, hugging back.

"W-what are we g-going to do, Lokes? Fuck, I-" Tony hiccuped.

"It's alright. Shh," Loki shushed him.

Tony pulled away quickly, whipping at his eyes as tears had started to form there. "I-I'm fine."

Loki raised an eyebrow. He clearly was not fine, but Loki said nothing.

"I'm sorry. I usually don't get like that," Tony laughed, playing down his feelings.

"It's alright," Loki said. He really wanted Anthony to hug him again. Not just because he'd been mad at him the whole time, but because no one had hugged him in a long time. Loki also just felt comforted by the action.

"Can I ask you something kinda weird?" Tony asked and Loki gave him a quizzical look.

"If you are asking me anything sexual I can and will toss you out in the snow," Loki stated.

"Wha-no!" Tony looked like he was trying not to laugh. "I wanted to ask if something I read is true."

"Alright," Loki relented.

"Did you have a eight legged horse for a son?" Tony rushed out.

"Excuse me?" Loki asked, startled.

Tony blinked. "Oh, well, I didn't think it was true either-"

"No, it's true. I was just shocked that you knew," Loki corrected.

Tony choked. "Y-you _do_ have an eight legged horse for a son?!"

Loki nodded. "Of course I do. Why are you shocked? You were the one that asked."

"I didn't think it was true! I thought it was just some stupid made up story. A legend. I didn't think-" Tony stopped, a second thought occurring to him. "You were fucked by a horse?" It sounded more like a question than anything.

Loki groaned, dropping his head in his hands.

Tony gasped. "Oh my God, you where, weren't you!"

"Shut up, Stark."

Tony giggled like a child and Loki couldn't help but smile at the childish laughter.

"So, are other Norse legends real? Like, does Thor have kids," Tony's eyes went as wide as fifty cent pieces. "That would be terrifying. Little Thor's running around the place."

Loki smirked at the thought. He decided against mentioning that Thor did in fact have little ones as well.

"What about Mimir?" Tony asked, making Loki frown.

"The severed head?" He said.

Tony nodded. "Is it true? A severed head just floating in the water and it can talk and shit?"

Loki rolled his eyes. "Yes. Why?"

"Cool," Tony breathed. "Do you think I could be a severed head when I grow up?"

"You are a very strange mortal," Loki murmured.

"I've been told," Tony said with a shrug. "One of a kind type of mortal. So, where's the head now? Sailing the seven seas, maybe?"

Loki scoffed. "Of course not. Mimir's in Jotunheim."

"Wait, really?!" Tony said, his eyes going wide.

"Yes. In a spring called Hvergelmir. It feeds the World Tree," Loki told him.

"Maybe he's lonely. We should totally visit him."

"You just want to see a decapitated talking head," Loki said.

"So?" Tony grinned. "How many worlds are there?"

Loki glanced at him before sighing. "Many. But there are nine major worlds known to the people who study Yggdrasil."

"Um, what?" Tony asked dumbfounded. "What the heck is a Ygg- I can't even pronounce that."

Again, Loki rolled his eyes before holding out a hand, a book appearing in it. He opened it, flipping to a certain page and held it out for Tony to see. "Here."

Tony took the book looking at the illustration curiously. "What is it?"

"What do you think it is?" Loki asked.

"A tree."

Loki forced himself not to whack Tony with the book. "Give the boy a prize," he said sarcastically. "Yes, it's a tree. The World Tree. Yggdrasil."

"So, the world is a tree."

Again, Loki restrained from hitting Tony with the book. "No. It's not a single world. It's all the worlds that are connected by Yggdrasils branches."

"So, these are all the worlds," Tony speculated.

"All the nine worlds. The most important. But there are many many more worlds. Thousands," Loki said.

"And doesn't that just make me feel like an insignificant speck on a frozen planet," Tony said, making Loki smirked. "Okay, so there's Asgard. That's you and Thor's alien planet."

Loki sighed in exasperation.

"Then, Midgard. Earth," Tony said before glancing at the next one. "...Vanaheim?"

"Home of the Vanir. They are like Asgardians," Loki said.

"Right. Because we really need more of you people," Tony said sarcastically.

"Haha, shut up," Loki said without humor.

Tony kept reading. "Alfheim?"

"Home of the light elves," Loki supplied. "You do know it says it right there." He pointed.

Tony waved him off. "Yeah yeah, I'm not blind."

"Could have fooled me," Loki muttered.

"This is Jotunheim, here," Tony said looking at the little circle indicating the world. "That's where you're from."

Loki nodded stiffly. "Yes."

Tony seemed to notice Loki's sudden mood change and decided to move along. "Right. So," he squinted at the next name not wanting to get it wrong, "Nidavellir." Tony frowned. "Why do all the others have 'heim' at the end, but this one doesn't? Besides Asgard and Midgard. But those both end in 'gard' at least. But nothing else ends in 'ir'."

Loki shrugged. "I don't know. Does it have to? Why is it so important?"

"Just curious," he said, looking at the caption below it. "'Home of the dwarves'."

"You'll fit right in there," Loki said with a smirk.

"Excuse you? Did you just make fun of my height? Again?!" Tony asked, looking amused while trying to feign hurt but was failing at the task.

He was more relieved that Loki's joking mood was back.

"Hey, here we are!" Tony exclaimed. "Niflheim. Jotunheim's right next to us, huh?"

"Just as I said before. Those two worlds are connected," Loki said simply.

"Guess so," Tony looked at the next one with an open curiosity in his eyes as if he had found something rather interesting. "Muspellheim."

"Home of the fire giants," Loki said simply.

"There's fire giants?"

Loki frowned at his disbelieving tone. "There's frost giant's. Why can't there be fire giants also?"

"I'm not saying there can't be. It's just...my father mentioned that name before. When I was little," Tony said, looking confused. "Why would he care about Norse Mythology? All he ever cared about was money and power."

"Maybe he's a nerd like you?" Loki suggested.

"I'm going to hit you with a book if you call me a nerd again. It's genius, thank you very much," Tony said rather sulkily.

"Funny. I was thinking about hitting you with a book only moments before," Loki mused.

"Great minds think alike," Tony shrugged. "What about this one? Helheim. 'Home of Hel and the dishonorable dead'."

"Her full name is Hela, actually," Loki corrected. "It is where all the people who died cowards or led evil lives go after death."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like you know this Hela person."

"She's my daughter."

Tony choked on air. "S-she's your _what_?!"

Loki frowned. "What?"

"Since when did you have a kid?!" Tony exclaimed. "Well, besides the horse, I mean.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Kids. Plural. I have several."

"Why haven't you told me this before?" Tony demanded.

"Why should it be any of your business?" Loki snapped. "Besides, they're hardly children now. They're all grown. Besides Fenrir of course."

"Fenrir...he's a wolf, right?" Tony said, his norse mythology a little rusty.

"Yes", Loki agreed.

"How old is he?" Tony asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. Many years old. But he was isolated. His form is based on his state of mind. Being isolated like he is, he's much younger than the others who can roam the world freely", Loki said.

"Why can't Fenrir?" Tony asked.

Loki suddenly looked heartbroken which made Tony regret asking. "Because my Fath— because Odin made it so. There's a prophecy of a wolf named Fenrir that would be Odin's downfall at Ragnarok."

"Ragnarok...the day the world ends?"

"The worlds and yes. To stop this from happening, Odin took Fenrir as soon as he was born. He imprisoned him on an island that I cannot go to. Fenrir has never seen the worlds, nor will he ever until Ragnarok when all life will end, including his own," Loki said in a quiet voice.

"That's fucked. Who does that to a kid? Or to you? You're his son! Well, adopted son anyway. He shouldn't have taken your child from you," Tony stated angrily, shocked by how angry he was. He normally didn't get so caught up in other people's problems, but that just wasn't right.

Loki looked surprised, but Tony had never felt more pissed.

"If we ever get out of here, I'll find that island and bring the kid to the Tower to live there," Tony said and Loki looked even more surprised.

"You'd allow my son to live with you?" Loki said, shocked.

"Well, I mean, he is your kid, obviously, so you'd be the one to raise him and all. Once he's there and all you'll be able to catch up and—"

"Why would I be at the Tower also? Your friends would not want me there," Loki interrupted.

"I don't give a flying donkey what they think. Your innocent, Lokes. They can't hold what happened against you," Tony said, waving a dismissive hand.

"I don't know," Loki sighed. "I'm sure that that archer of yours will try. Besides, we'll never get off this cursed planet."

"So...what do we do now?" Tony asked.

Loki shook his head, slightly. "No clue."

Tony thought for a bit, looking within the deep corners of his mind. He kept looking over the book, reading the little words for each world one after the other. "Hey, you said there was a spring that fed the Yggdrasil tree, right?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well...where is the spring? I mean...what world is it in?" Tony asked a bubble of hope building up in him.

Loki frowned. "Jotunheim. Though why it matters I don't—"

Once the idea hit Tony, he perked up. "I got it."

Loki stopped talking to stare at him weirdly, but Tony was so used to that look from other people, he didn't even notice it. "You got what?"

Tony grinned like a mad man. "An idea."


	7. The Terrible Idea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language, strong violence⚠️

"No, Anthony. Absolutely not."

Tony had just finished explaining his idea and Loki was staring at him like he'd lost all sense. "Why not?! It's a good plan-"

"It's suicidal! You'll never make it! You'll die before you even reach Jotunheim!" Loki yelled at him.

"No, I won't and you don't even know what I can or cannot do!" Tony yelled back, anger sparking through him, along with annoyance. Why did Loki treat him like a child? He had thought through the dangers of it and he was willing to risk it. "It's our only chance! It's so goddamn simple too. We go to Jotunheim, we find the spring, whatever it was called and then we use Yggdrasil to get back to Midgard. Easy!"

"No it isn't! There's so many dangers, Anthony. I will not let you put yourself at risk like that!" Loki snapped.

"It's not your choice!" Tony said seethingly.

Loki glared at him. "If I have to tie you down, then I will."

"Not that that doesn't sound appealing or anything, but you can't stop me. You can either come with me and help me or I go on my own," Tony said, crossing his arms over his chest looking defiant.

Loki swallowed back a retort. He realised Tony was serious. He was going to do this with or without him. And Loki couldn't bear to let him go off on his own, knowing what might happen to Tony if he did. "Fine."

Tony blinked. "Wait, really?"

"Yes, really. I can't let you go off on your own. You'll be killed in minutes", Loki said with an air of great frustration.

"Nice to know you have such high thoughts of me," Tony said snarkily.

"We need to prepare before we go. If we go out there like this, we won't make it," Loki said though he was actually thinking that Tony wouldn't make it.

"Alright! Awesome! I'll get clothes and stuff from the back and you summon food for the trip!" Tony said, racing off.

Loki knew he was just glad to be doing something. Despite the danger, Loki was glad too. He even managed a smile.

* * *

"Have we got everything? Can we go yet?"

"Patience is a virtue, Anthony," Loki said checking over the supplies. Food, water, clothes, weapons...what else?

"I have been patiently waiting, thank you very much. For like, two hours!" Tony said. He was swathed in warm cloths and looked like an overweight polar bear with the fur coat Loki had forced him to wear. He felt as if he were overheating.

"Oh pish posh. It's only been an hour and a half. You exaggerate," Loki said, glancing at the genius.

Tony huffed at the god yet Loki couldn't help but think that it was cute.

"Alright. I think we've got everything," Loki said, hiding a smile.

"Ya sure? You don't want to put another coat on me?" Tony said sassily.

"I'd rather that you didn't freeze the moment that you step foot out of this cave," Loki replied, picking up the bag containing their supplies for the trip.

Tony rolled his eyes. "I survived the trip to this cave. I'm sure I'll survive till we get to Jotunheim."

Loki didn't answer. He couldn't shake off this bad feeling, like what they were doing was wrong, that it would end in tragedy.

He pushed the feeling away. He had to focus. "Come on, Anthony."

Tony smirked, as if he thought he had won the argument, but he didn't know that it was because Loki was too busy worrying about other things to reply back.

"Alrighty," he said, following after Loki. As soon as he set foot out of the cave, Tony yelped, the cold hitting him like shards of glass against his exposed skin. "H-holy mother I forgot how fucking cold this planet is," Tony said with a shaky laugh, wrapping his arms around himself.

Loki glanced at him and smirked. "Not so smart now, are you, Stark?"

"You really need to d-decide whether it's Anthony or Stark," Tony stated sulkily.

Loki kept smiling smugly. "Let's go."

Tony cursed Loki under his breath but followed after him, jogging to catch up with Loki's long legged stride into the falling snow. His feet sunk deep into the snow on the ground, sinking down almost to his knees. Dammit.

Loki kept waking, glancing back every now and then to check if Tony was keeping up, fighting back a smile whenever he heard Tony curse, or saw him trip in the snow.

"S-so, how far is it?" Tony said, trying to walk beside Loki and for the most part managing it.

"Hopefully not too far," Loki said, looking into the distance of the expanse of nothingness.

"Thanks. That really h-helps," Tony said, rolling his eyes.

"You're welcome. I aim to please."

"I was being s-sarcastic."

"I know."

Tony frowned, glancing at Loki. The god was looking far off into the distance, almost as if he were searching for more than their destination. "What are you th-thinking about?"

Loki blinked, looking at Tony. "I was...thinking about my Father."

"Which one?" Tony asked, the question reminding him of the 'I have two daddies' joke Clint had told him.

"My real Father," Loki said after a minute.

"Oh," Tony coughed uncomfortably, "right."

Loki raised an eyebrow. "I'm not made of glass, you know. If you have a question, you can ask."

"I k-know that!" Tony protested. "I was...building u-up to that."

"Sure you were," Loki said and Tony made a face at him.

"I w-was just wondering...does your F-Father live in Jotunheim?" Tony asked.

Loki bit at his lip, wondering how much he should say. "Yes, he does."

"H-have you ever met him?" Tony asked slowly. He shivered slightly, but tried to ignore the cold.

"Twice," Loki said, thinking back to the time when Thor was accusing Laufey of betrayal and the other time, convincing his Father to kill Odin.

Tony hesitated. "Did he r-recognise you? I mean, did he k-know who you w-were?"

Loki swallowed. "No."

Tony grimace. "S-sorry."

"There's no need to be," Loki said, pretending to brush it off even though his heart was constricting painfully. "Why would I care if some Father who abandoned me didn't recognise me years later?"

Tony looked at Loki's face, concerned. "You're c-crying."

"What?" Loki touched his face and felt that it was wet. "Oh...it's nothing."

"It's not," Tony said. "You know, m-maybe you could meet him? We could find him and tell him who you are and, well, if he d-doesn't accept you, I can always kick him in the dick."

Loki smiled faintly. "As amusing as I'm sure that would be to watch, we cannot. I'd rather us just go to the spring and get back to Midgard without any trouble."

"Yeah but, d-don't we h-have to go through the k-kingdom anyway? That's w-what you said. Wouldn't y-you like to stick it in his f-face," Tony asked, his stuttering growing worse. The cold seemed to be seeping into his bones, freezing his joints, making his steps jerky as he struggled to keep moving forward.

"Stick what in his face?" Loki asked incredulously.

Tony looked at him. "At how you t-turned out? How he a-abandoned such an a-amazing son. If he h-hadn't, he could have h-had you for a s-son. But now he's m-missed that c-chance and y-you can say you d-don't give a shit any-anymore about h-him."

Loki stared at Tony like he was mental. "Yes, because I turned out so well, didn't I?" He said with an eye roll. Tony's shivering was starting to worry him though. He knew if he mentioned in, Tony would just brush it off. But still...

"I'm b-being sincere, L-Lokes!" Tony argued lightly. He jumped when he felt something warm touch his hand. He looked down, expecting to see some deformed frost creature perhaps, but found it was only Loki's hand, slipping into his own. A flood of warmth went up his arm and into his chest, warming him.

"You are incapable of sincerity," Loki sighed, pretending to not notice Tony's surprised look. Loki then blinked, remembering Thor saying those exact words to him.

"I take offence to that," Tony joked, though he didn't take his hand from Loki's.

"So you should. Add your height to that."

Tony was about to make a smart comment when something ahead caught his eye. "What's that?"

Loki looked where he was pointing and frowned. It was something large, obscured by the snow. He walked over to it, Tony reluctantly following.

"Kraken," Loki murmured before adding, "dead."

Tony swallowed as Loki tugged his hand, leading Tony around the dead beast and continued walking looking back at the Jotun beast. "Whatever killed that, I don't want to meet."

"It might have died from natural causes. The point being it that it's a Jotun monster. This particular one doesn't venture into Niflheim. We must have crossed the border..." Loki suddenly froze.

Tony stopped as well, looking at Loki quizzically. "Um, why are we stopping?"

"Sh," Loki shushed him, his eyes narrowed, looking around.

"But-"

Loki covered Tony's mouth with his hand making the genius give a muffled sound of annoyance. Then Tony's eyes widened when he saw Loki's new appearance.

He was, well...blue.

His skin was a dark blue, raised lines all over his skin. Arms, legs, face, everywhere. It was rather entrancing. But it was still a shock nonetheless. The hand over his mouth was freezing cold, but Tony didn't think it had anything to do with the weather.

Loki was still looking around, his eyes now ruby red. "This isn't good."

Tony wanted to ask exactly what 'wasn't good' but was forced to remain silent because of the hand covering his mouth.

Then from the shadows, a large form came towards them at a slow pace, but Tony had the feeling that it could move faster if it wanted. He - it was clearly a male - was blue, as Loki now was. He was taller than them both, though. Tony had never felt so miniscule in his entire life. The dude was huge!

Loki muttered under his breath. "Frost giant." Tony gulped.

So this was a frost giant. Tony almost wished he never found out what an average sized frost giant height was. In fact, he wondered how high a tall frost giant would be.

Loki took his hand from Tony's mouth, and subtly stood in front of Tony, obscuring him from the frost giants view. The frost giant stopped in front of them, towering over them making Tony feel even smaller.

He gladly coward behind Loki.

"What is this?" The frost giant asked. "What are you doing at the borders of Niflheim?"

Loki stood straight looking at the larger man defiantly. "That is none of your concern."

The frost giant bared his teeth. "As I guard the borders of Niflheim and Jotunheim, it makes it my concern. And what are you doing with _this_."

Faster than Loki could react, the frost giant snatched behind him, dragging Tony out by the arm. Tony yelled, trying to yank his arm back, making the coats sleeve ride up, exposing his arm. There was a searing burning pain and Tony screamed. A flash of green blinded Tony's sight and a loud bang was heard followed by a roaring shout and Tony was released. Arms wrapped around him and he yelled, trying to shove whoever it was away before realising it was Loki holding the genius protectively in his arm and stopped struggling.

The frost giant stood a few feet from them looking astonished at Loki before glaring. "You dare use magic against me?"

Loki held Tony tighter. "You harm the ones I care for, then I have every right to."

Tony, through his daze of pain, processed what Loki was saying. Loki cared about him. Actually cared about him!

...why?

The frost giant frowned at Tony who shuddered from pain as well as the cold. He clutched his arm tightly to his chest, willing for the pain to go away.

"You can come with me to see the King," the frost giant said finally.

"F-frost giants have a King?" Tony mumbled, but Loki nor the frost giant paid him any attention.

"Come with me," the frost giant said, turning away from him and walking away into the snowy weather. He didn't look back, probably assuming that Loki and Tony would follow.

"Can we run f-for it?" Tony asked, half joking and half serious.

Loki's face was unreadable. Tony wondered what he was thinking about, but didn't have the nerve to ask him.

Finally, Loki took Tony's hand again which he had dropped when the frost giant had grabbed him, and walked forward after the frost giant. Tony was so surprised that he didn't even protest, letting Loki lead him away for better or worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒It's about to go down people✒


	8. Tony's Giggling Fantasy Of A Frostbitten Death Starts To Become A Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

Tony had to admit. The prison they were forced to wait in was rather nice. Not too ‘torture-dungeon’ type of thing and not too ‘boring-holding-cell’ either. Tony had been in both types before. But this one was a nice mix of both.

There was a bench that Loki was sitting on staring glumly at the ice bars that covered the window. There were manacles that were attached to the wall, but thankfully, they hadn’t been chained up.

Tony sat on the floor under the window, his back against the wall. He stared at the door of the cell, waiting for something to happen. The frost giant had shoved them in here and left. Tony had tried the door, but it was firmly locked shut. In frustration, he’d kicked it, but that only made his toe hurt, so he’d sat down and pouted feeling miserable.

“So," Tony said after a long silence, “what now?”

Loki didn’t take his eyes away from the window. “We wait.”

“For what exactly?” Tony asked.

“For the frost giant to come back," Loki said.

“Oh, great! Really. Never would have guessed that," Tony said, pouting even more.

“Then why ask?”

“You—" Tony groaned in annoyance. “Whatever. I can’t even with you right now.”

Loki didn’t reply to that, only stared out the barred window, his gaze unfocused.

Tony sighed, bringing his legs up to his chest. His arm ached where the frost giant had grabbed him. Burned more like. Turning away from Loki, he pulled up his right sleeve. His eyes went wide.

What...the...fuck?!

His arm was bruised black and blue. The flesh looked burnt. Tony stared in horror. Only one thought processed through his mind.

Frostbite.

Swallowing hard, he tugged the sleeve back down before Loki could see. Loki already seemed stressed enough as it was. He didn’t need to add this to the god’s worries. But it was rather hard to ignore the pain. Whenever he moved his arm slightly, pain would spark up and he’d bite back a pained moan.

“Anthony,” Loki said, still looking out the window.

Tony’s eyes widened. Did he see the burn? He tried to seem neutral. “Yeah?”

Loki finally looked at him. “I’m sorry.”

Tony blinked. “Um...for what?”

Loki sighed. “For getting you in this mess. I knew doing this was a bad idea, but I still did it anyway.”

“Hey, wait a sec," Tony said, standing up, ignoring the pain in his arm and went and sat next to Loki. “This was as much my choice as it was yours. More so even. This was my idea to do this. Which means it’s my fault, not yours. You're not the one who should be apologizing.”

“But I let you," Loki said, looking down. “I don’t know how I’m going to get us out of this.”

“Look, the dude said we just have to meet the King or whatever—"

“The King’s name is Laufey," Loki supplied.

“Right. We’ll tell Laufey the truth. There’s no law about crossing through the Kingdom. If the King’s reasonable, well," Tony paused, “after meeting Odin, I’m not sure there’s such a thing as a reasonable King, but if he is, then he should let us go.”

Loki didn’t look at him. Tony had a feeling that Loki was keeping something from him. He didn’t want to push, but it was annoying that they had been through so much and still Loki didn’t trust him.

“It’ll be fine," Tony said when Loki still said nothing. “You’ll see. Good old, Tony Stark will get you out of this.”

“I hate when you talk in third person," Loki muttered, but a smile tugged at his lips.

Tony grinned. “So, is this how you usually look?” He asked, gesturing to Loki’s blue skin.

Loki frowned at him. “Way to kill the mood.”

“I’m only asking," Tony said, raising his hands in surrender. "Why did you go blue when you saw the frost giant?”

“Because if I had appeared how I was before he wouldn’t have bothered with chit chat. He would have killed us both. But since I appeared as a frost giant, he hesitated," Loki said. “Unfortunately we now have to see the King.”

“You met the Jotunheim King before, haven’t you?” Tony said and Loki seemed to become guarded. “When you tried tricking him into coming to Asgard.”

“I have. There was also another time before that, but I wasn’t the one that talked to him. Some frost giants had gotten into Asgard and Thor went to Jotunheim with some of his friends and I," Loki said softly. “That was the same day that I found out that I was a frost giant.”

“Wait, you didn’t know you were a frost giant?!” Tony asked, looking shocked.

Loki shook his head. “I never knew what I was. I believed I was Aesir. I was brought up believing Jotun’s were monsters. When I found out what I was...I realised I was one of them.”

Tony stared at him, speechless. How could one person be such a bad Father? He was going to kill Odin.

Before he could say that however, the dungeon door opened. The same frost giant from before stepped through looking between the two. “The King will see you now.”

…

Thankfully, Loki wasn’t handcuffed as he had been during his trial. But it was clear they couldn’t just leave. The frost giant had a jagged ice piece shaped like a sword in his hand that he held loosely at his side, but the message was clear enough. No one leaves unless they have permission.

Loki repeatedly reminded himself to relax, to stay calm. Everything would be fine if he kept his cool.

Tony stood beside him, looking around at the grand room in obvious awe, marveling at the iced columns and frost. Being a mechanic as he was, he couldn’t help but wonder how the place stayed together.

Then the King walked into the room, not even looking at them. Tony stared at him in surprise. Okay, yeah, he was taller than them both, but he wasn’t as tall as the guard. In fact, take a couple inches off him and he’d be as tall as an average man.

“He’s short," Tony mumbled to Loki who sent him a sideways scathing look that had ‘ _shut up_ ’ written all over it.

Laufey finally sat down on the throne and looked over at them. “I have had my son, Helblindi, tell me that he found the two of you at the borders of Niflheim.”

Tony felt Loki tense up beside him and gave him a worried look.

Laufey sighed as if tired. He looked tired. “Why were you crossing over the border to Jotunheim?”

“Is it against the law or something?” Tony asked before yelping in pain as Loki stood on his foot.

“Shut up, Anthony," Loki hissed.

Laufey raised an eyebrow at them both. “You did not know that you are not allowed to cross the border?”

Loki gave Tony a glare which made the genius look down at his feet. “Sorry," he mumbled.

Tony heard the guard — Helblindi, was it? — give a low chuckle as if amused.

Laufey gave a wry smile. “That’s a no, I take it?”

“No, it is not," Loki said, not looking up, continuing to glare at Tony who was blushing despite the cold, looking abashed.

“Is it not? Why cross the border then, knowing you are not allowed?” The Laufey asked.

“Father, it is obvious they are spies," Helblinder said before they could answer. “They must have been sent from Asgard. Odin is most likely trying to find out our weakness in our Kingdom. They should be sent away, out of Jotunheim.”

Laufey frowned at them, looking slightly suspicious. “Is this true?”

“No!” Tony said, ignoring Loki’s glare. “I-I mean, we are from Asgard, but we were banished. Odin punished us for something we didn’t do.”

Laufey looked surprised. “What would a frost giant and a mortal be doing in Asgard to begin with?”

“Well...um...Loki?” Tony asked, turning to look at the god who sighed in disgust.

“I was wrongly accused of a crime, wrongly sentenced and this mortal—"

“I have a name you know.”

"—was to attend the trial of mine and decided to get in the middle of it and was punished also," Loki finished, ignoring Tony completely. “The punishment was banishment to Niflheim.”

“I see," Laufey said slowly and calculatingly. “Very well. But why would you come to Jotunheim?”

“We’re trying to go to Yggdrasil," Tony said. “We’re going to use it to get back to Midgard.”

“And to do that you must go through Jotunheim," Laufey guessed and Tony nodded. “Interesting. A mortal and a frost giant from Asgard travelling through Jotunheim to get to Midgard.”

“So...can we go? To Midgard, I mean?” Tony asked.

Laufey glanced at Loki who in the whole time they’d been there, hadn’t looked up at the King. “You seem familiar.”

Tony saw Loki swallow. “I’ve been around.”

“Is that so? And you’re travelling to Midgard? Don’t you have friends, family from Asgard?” Laufey asked.

“Not anymore," Loki said softly and Tony froze. He hadn’t even considered if Loki had friends from Asgard. He’d asked him to go to Midgard with him and didn’t even wonder if Loki wanted to go back to Asgard or not. Not that he could, but still…

“I’m sorry that you cannot go back to your home. I’m sure you miss your friends and family," Laufey said after a pause. “Perhaps one day you shall see them again.”

Loki finally looked up at Laufey and Tony couldn’t help but see a pain in Loki’s eyes. He was shocked to see it. Why would Loki have pain to see the King of Jotunheim?

 _‘My Father...my biological Father, did not want me. Compared to frost giants, I was small. My Father left me, abandoned me, on a frozen rock. He left me to die, to be most likely_ devoured by some Jotunheim creature.’

Tony frowned at the memory. Why was he thinking about this now?

_‘Does your Father live in Jotunheim?’_

_‘Yes, he does.’_

Then it hit Tony. He looked at the King with wide eyes as if only just seeing him for the first time. But this guy couldn’t be him, could it? Then again, they looked familiar. Loki had the same raised lines on his skin, the same shade of blue, but maybe they all looked that way?

Loki didn’t seem to notice Tony’s shocked look, nor did the King. “Do you have family?”

Laufey glanced at Helblindi. “This is my son, so yes. I have another as well, Býleistr. Though why it matters, I’m unsure.”

“What about a wife?” Loki said, his voice tight.

Laufey had a sudden look of sadness that almost made Tony feel bad for him. “She died, many years ago.”

Tony looked surprised. “How?”

Laufey glanced at him. “She died at childbirth.”

Loki was looking at Laufey with an apprehensive gaze. “Would you see your wife again, if you had the chance to?”

“Of course," Laufey said softly. “I miss her everyday.”

“The child…” Loki bit his lip. "You said she died at childbirth. Who was the child?”

Laufey looked at Loki but the god of Mischief wouldn’t mean his eyes. “He was my youngest. My youngest child. Raven hair...green eyes, like his mother.”

“Wait, what? Don’t all frost giants have red eyes?” Tony interrupted.

Laufey shook his head. “Not exactly. Frost giants can change their appearances using magic. They can appear as a mortal.”

“Oh.” Tony didn’t know why he was so confused by this. He’d seen Loki change his appearance as well. Why wouldn’t other frost giants be able to?

“What happened to him?” Loki asked.  
Laufey frowned, a pained expression on his face. “He was killed.”

Loki’s head whipped up, staring in shock at the King. “That’s a lie.”

Laufey suddenly looked angry. “I would not ever lie about such a thing!”

Loki shook his head. “My Fa—" Loki broke off before trying again. “Odin, he told me that you left your son in the snow. Left him to be killed. You. You’re the one that killed him.”

Tony had half the mind to tell Loki to be quiet because Laufey looked pissed. “Odin is a liar and a thief! He murdered my son, not I!

“He…” Loki stared at the King in horror, “he murdered…”

“Yes," Laufey was breathing hard. “He killed him. Killed my son. An innocent child.”

“But...but Odin said you abandoned him...because he was small," Loki said, his voice growing quieter as he spoke.

Laufey shook his head. “I would never abandon my child. I loved him, like I love both my sons. But Loptr—"

 _‘Loptr?’_ Tony thought. Then realised that must be what Loki would have been called had he stayed with his biological Father.

"—he would have been something special. Something extraordinary. It didn’t matter that he was small. It was better in fact," Laufey sighed. “Frost giants born smaller have more power, more magic than other larger frost giants. Loptr was born small, yes, but I knew one day he would make a great sorcerer. He would make all of Jotunheim proud. And Odin took that away from us.”

“But, Odin didn’t...how do you know he killed him?” Loki said, looking torn.

“I saw it. I could not keep Loptr with me, so I gave him over to the handmaids and told them to hide in the temple as it was protected by strong magic. It was the safest place for him. Or at least, I thought it was. Odin defeated me, demanding the Casket Of Winters. I said he could take it. I only thought for the war to be over, so I could live with my family in peace. My only thought was that Loptr was safe, as were my other sons who were away in town. Odin left me and I hurried to go to my son, make sure he was okay."

Laufey was breathing raggedly as if in pain and Tony was shocked to see tears in his eyes.

“When I arrived, they were dead. The handmaidens. All of them. Loptr was gone. I was frantic, fearing the worst when I heard in. A baby crying. I ran outside and there he was, in Odin’s arms. He was walking away to the Bifrost sight. I ran forward, to get to him, my son, to save him. But then Odin turned and the baby's cries stopped and I knew…"

Tony was frozen in shock. Loki had thought his Father had abandoned him, had left him for dead. Now he’s finding out that his Father had always loved him, but thought he was dead. He didn’t know which was worse.

“Um…” Tony glanced at Loki who was staring at Laufey speechless. “See, here's the thing…”

“Anthony," Loki whispered, “don’t.”

“But—"

“No," Loki said finally. He took a deep breath. “We ask only for you to allow us to go to the spring that we need to access Yggdrasil.”

Laufey looked at Loki before slowly nodding. “As you wish. I do not see the harm in it—"

“No! Loki, you can’t just let this go," Tony said, turning on the god.

Loki looked at him, a warning in his eyes but Tony didn’t care.

“I lost my parents. I lost my Mother and Father. But it doesn’t have to be the same for you!” Tony said, taking Loki’s hands in his own looking him in the eyes. “You have this chance. A chance to get back what you lost. How many chances like that do people get? Near to none. I regret never saying goodbye to my Father. I regret never telling my Mother one last time that I loved her. Don’t throw this away like I did. Don't take it for granted. Or else you'll end up regretting it for the rest of your life.”

Loki stood frozen, only the tightening grip on his hands giving any indication that Loki had heard.

Laufey was looking between them both. "What is this mortal talking about?"

Loki looked over at him, but kept his hold on Tony's hands. He seemed to steal himself.

"Your son isn’t dead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Ooooohhhh, yes. It's happening people✒


	9. The Truth Is Revealed (And Loki Is An Emotional Wreck)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

Laufey glared. “Do not start this. I’ve heard it a thousand times. People saying he might be alive. They weren’t there. They didn’t see what I saw.”

“What happened? What happened after Odin turned away?” Loki asked.

“He vanished. He went back to Asgard through the bifrost," Laufey said slowly.

“But you didn’t see it. You didn’t see if your son had been murdered," Tony said.

Laufey looked at them both. “It was obvious. My son is dead and Odin is the killer! He killed my son...my innocent child.”

“He’s not dead," Tony said. “He’s alive. He’s…” Tony looked at Loki who seemed to understand.

“It’s me. I’m your son," Loki said, a voice barely audible, a mere whisper.

Laufey looked at him, his eyes angry, but sad...and a little hopeful. “No, you’re not.”

“I am," Loki said. “My Fa—Odin took me from here. From the temple you spoke of. He took me back to Asgard and raised me as his own. I had no knowledge of being anyone's child but his. He lied to me. I found out the truth, that I was adopted. But Odin told me you had abandoned me. Left me to die, for I was too small. Now I don’t know what to believe."

Laufey stared at Loki with wide eyes. “It isn't possible.”

“It is," Tony said softly. “It is possible. There’s no such thing as impossible.”

Laufey stood from the throne, walking over to them both, but his red eyes were trained on Loki as if that were all he could see. Loki stood stock still, tense all over as if he were forcing himself to stay still or trying to move but unable to. Laufey stopped in front of him and slowly reached out.

Loki stepped back suddenly, just once, fear and uncertainty in his eyes. Tony understood why. After Odin, Loki didn’t know what to expect anymore. Tony doubted Odin had ever shown any love or affection towards Loki. It was sad that Loki didn’t know what it was like for someone to care about him. To love him. Tony found it strange that he knew so much about Loki after just a short time of being with him. But it helped understand the Norse god, so Tony didn’t care.

Laufey paused for only a second before trying again, and this time, Loki didn’t move back. Laufey’s hand touched Loki’s cheek gently, with so much affection in his gaze that Tony looked away. It felt like something private that he shouldn’t see.

Despite himself, Tony looked back to see Loki had thrown his arms around Laufey and had his head buried into the older man’s shoulder. Tony suspected that he was crying. Laufey was murmuring under his breath as he brushed his fingers through Loki’s hair tenderly. “My Loptr, my boy. My son.”

Tony smiled slightly at them. A Father and son reunited.

The moment stretched on until Tony realised he had to say something or else they’d never let each other go and coughed awkwardly.

Loki hastily moved away from Laufey, wiping at his face to erase any trace of tears, clearing his throat. “I, uh…” he glanced at Tony then back at Laufey. “I’m assuming you believe me then.”

Laufey gave a wry smile. “I’d be a fool not to.”

Helblindi was looking confused as hell. Tony felt for him. “This is my Brother?”

Loki looked over at him before quickly looking away again and Tony realised that Loki must not have known that Laufey might have had other children. Hadn’t even considered it.

“Yes, this is your Brother, Helblindi. Loki, this is your older Brother," Laufey said introducing the two.

Helblindi looked at Loki with wide eyes before smiling widely. “He’s so _small_ ," he exclaimed delightedly.

Tony had to muffle his laughter before Loki killed him.

“Do you have many children, Sir," Tony asked, mentally cursing at the ‘Sir’ part. You only said that to the parents of people you were dating. And Tony did not like Loki that way. Or at least, Loki didn’t like him that way. Tony wasn’t sure about his feelings anymore.

“Another son. Middle child. Býleistr," Laufey said. “He’s out at the moment. Most likely avoiding Helblindi," (Helblindi pouted at this), “but otherwise no.”

“Hey, you’re a grandfather now, huh?” Tony said, not noticing Loki’s glare.

Laufey’s eyes widened. “You have children?!”

Loki slowly nodded. “Yes. I have quite a few.”

Laufey seemed shocked and excited. “Can I meet them? How old are they? Is the father this mortal?”

Tony coughed loudly as he choked on air. “W-what?!”

Laufey frowned at him. “I assumed—"

Tony more or less stopped choking. At least, enough to answer. “Well, no. Just no. Me and Loki aren’t—"

“We’re not together," Loki answered. “We’re just friends.”

_‘Just friends’._

Why did those two words fill Tony with hot knives cutting up his insides? He pushed it away. He didn’t want to focus on the reason why. Mostly because he feared that he knew what it meant.

“Did you get remarried?” Tony asked, so focused on changing the subject that he did not think before he spoke and realised that might not be the best question to ask.

Laufey only shook his head. “Never. I will never remarry.”

“Oh, okay,"Tony mumbled, once again uncomfortable.

Loki rolled his eyes. “Mortals.”

“Hey, I heard that," Tony said pointedly.

Loki smirked. “That was the point.”

“How is he alive?” Laufey said, looking at Tony. “If you really were in Niflheim the cold should have killed him. No mortal could have survived that.”

“Again with the ‘he should have died’ shit?” Tony sighed.

“He’s not your typical mortal," Loki said with a smirk.

Laufey smiled. “No, he isn’t, is he?”

“Oh, quite your smirking!” Tony said, waving at them with an annoyed air about him.

“You said you were going to Midgard," Laufey said suddenly. “Would you not stay here?”

Tony bit his lip hard. He couldn’t do this without Loki. He had said he’d go without him before but only because he knew Loki would crack. But what if Loki decided to stay?

Oh, god's no.

“You don’t have to say yes," Laufey added when Loki hesitated. “But...how about you stay the night? You could use some rest. If you still insist on going, I’ll have Býleistr bring you to the spring you seek to reach Yggdrasil. But for now you should rest. Helblindi can show you to a guest room.”

Loki smiled slightly. “That would be wonderful…Father.”

...

Well, Tony thought, at least the guest room was fashionable.

Tony flopped down on the bed, face mashed into the soft sheets. After lying on an icy cave floor for the past who knew how long, this was definitely a nice change. Despite the ice walls that towered over them, the room only had a slight chill. It was a much warmer temperature then the Niflheim cave had been at any rate.

Loki sat down on the opposite side of the bed, sitting cross legged as he stared down at his lap.

Tony pushed himself up to look at Loki. "So…" he coughed awkwardly. "What now?"  
Loki didn't answer for a minute, continuing to stare down at his hands.

Tony knitted his eyebrows together now concerned. He moved closer to Loki, drawing his legs up to his chest as he reached out and gently touched Loki's shoulder. "Hey, you alright?"

Loki took a shuddering breath. "Everything I knew was a lie."

Tony licked his dry lips. "You mean...Laufey not abandoning you?"

Loki nodded slowly. "I thought he had. But this whole time he had really been trying to protect me. Had tried to save me. Odin took me away from here. From my family, the one thing on Earth that actually cares about me."

"Hey, come on now. Plenty of people care about you," Tony insisted.

Loki shook his head. "You're blind if you cannot see that I wasn't wanted on Asgard, nor am I wanted on any other Realm."

"That isn't true. I know people care about you, Loki," Tony stated firmly.

"Really? Name three. Three people who care about me before I found out the truth about my biological Father," Loki muttered with a hint of anger.

Tony paused. "Well, Thor loves you. A hell of a lot. Even after New York and everything that's happened between you guys he still cares about you, still loves you," Tony said.

Loki chewed his lip. "That's only one, Anthony."

Tony's heart jumped at the sound of his full name coming from Loki's lips. He didn't understand why. It was only Loki. It's not like he loved him or anything. They were just friends...right?

"Your Mother. What's her name...Frigga? She loves you, doesn't she? Thor said all the time how much you and her spend time together. How Frigga was the only one who understood you when others didn't," Tony said, pushing aside his earlier thoughts. He didn't like figuring out his feelings and he sure as hell wasn't going to start now.

Loki clenched his hands into fists. "It doesn't matter. Her loving me will only get her hurt. Anyone who loves me ends up getting hurt...either by my hand or another who wishes to hurt me through them. It is why I tell Thor constantly he is not my Brother. I love him but I cannot let him be hurt because of me."

"Loki, I don't think Thor cares about that. He much rather him as your Brother and be hurt than not be your Brother at all," Tony said gently. He knew it was true. Thor always talked about Loki in the brightest of lights despite the bad things he'd done. He cared about Loki so much but Loki just didn't seem to see it. Or maybe he did, but refused to believe it.

"You've only mentioned two," Loki said after a moment. Tony didn't point out the fact that he was changing the subject. He didn't think it would end well if he did. "Who would be the third?"

Tony looked up at Loki's green eyes. He had changed back to his Asgardian form when they had reached the room and Tony had to admit that he had missed those forest green eyes.

Tony looked down, reaching out his uninjured hand which he had kept hidden from Loki and gripped Loki's own hand that rested in his lap, squeezing gently. "Me."

Tony looked up to see Loki staring at him with the utmost confused expression he'd ever seen on a person's face. Tony had to force himself not to laugh as Loki opened his mouth. "What?"

Tony smiled. "Me," he repeated. "I care about you, Lokes."

Now Loki looked even more confused. "But...we're enemies."

Tony shook his head. "We don't have to be. You were controlled like Clint was. You were being used against your will. It might not be the same but I know the feeling. Being used and manipulated so much that it's hard to trust anyone anymore. But you can trust me. I won't ever hurt you...I promise."

Loki sat stock still for so long that Tony worried he'd turned into a statue had it not been for the rapid rise and fall of his chest.

Then Loki's arms were around him, long fingered hands clinging into the back of his shirt, almost tearing through the fabric. His head was buried in the crook of Tony's neck and Tony could feel hot tears soak into his shirt. Well, he never did like this shirt anyway.

"It's okay, Lokes. I got you. I'm not ever letting you go," Tony breathed, holding an arm around Loki's shoulders, whispering comforting words into his ear to calm him.

"W-what if I choose to stay?" Loki said quietly. "What if I wish to remain here?"

Tony gripped Loki's shoulder a bit tighter. Was Loki trying to say that he wanted to stay? But of course he wanted to stay. There was no question of it. This was his family. These were the people Loki belonged with, the ones that cared and cherished him for who he was. Why wouldn't Loki want to stay?

"If you want to stay, I won't stop you," Tony said unsurely. "Not that I can anyway. But...I'll stay with you."

Loki drew back, staring at Tony wide eyed. "No. You have your friends. Family of your own. Surely you want to be with them. Not some ice world where there's no warmth to be found."

 _'You are my warmth,'_ Tony thought.

It was then that he knew he loved Loki. He couldn't believe it. He'd never fallen for anyone. Not even Pepper. He loved her, don't get him wrong, but it hadn't felt like this. He may have family waiting for him, but love was more important, wasn't it? Loki was what he loved. Loki would be his new family. He just hoped Loki felt the same way.

"I'll stay," Tony repeated firmly. "With you. I won't abandon you."

Loki swallowed hard. "Anthony." Oh fuck, that name again. "I'm not staying."

Tony blinked. "Wait, what?"

Loki gave a wry smile that matched his Father's. "I'm not staying. I cannot. Where you go, I go too. I want to go with you."

"But I'm saying I'll stay here. You can be with your family—"

"What about your family?" Loki asked. Tony felt a slight pressure on his hand and realised Loki hadn't let go of his. "Surely you wish to see them again."

"I do, but…" Tony sighed. "I don't want to go without you. I don't want to be the one to take you away from your family again."

"You aren't taking me away from them," Loki stated. "This is my choice. I wish to know them better but it will have to wait. I have years. Thousands of years to get to know them. But you, I do not have so long."

Tony's heart clenched at the words as reality set in. He was reminded that Loki was a god. He was just a mortal. Something that will eventually die and Loki would move on to the next one. Tony was filled with an icy coldness at the thought.

"It is your choice. But I don't want to be an influence on it," Tony said, his voice a bit distant now. More guarded. "If you want to stay then stay."

Loki noticed the shift in Tony's mood. He worried that Tony was afraid Loki would stay. Did he really not believe him when he said he wanted to go with him? Did he not understand the reason why Loki wanted to go with him? To give up all this for him?

Did he not realise Loki loved him?

"I'll go with you. Wherever that may be," Loki said in a final sort of way.

Tony gave a stiff nod. He took his hand from Loki's. "Right. Okay then, well...I should shower. Then maybe something to eat and rest, I think is the best course of action at the moment."

Loki blinked. What had happened? Tony was perfectly fine a few seconds ago. Now he seemed distant and...cold. It didn't suit him at all. "Anthony—"

"Yup, shower it is," Tony said, agreeing with himself as he turned away. "You should eat something. You're still skinny as fuck."

Loki nodded slowly but Tony didn't see as he headed into the bathroom. A minute later, Loki heard running water followed by a rather girly scream and a shout.

"Why is the water freezing fucking cold?!"

Loki couldn't help but chuckle.

…

He probably should have realised that the water would have been freezing cold but his genius brain wasn't paying attention. The only thing it seemed to want to focus on was the fact that Tony was mortal.

And Loki was a god.

Tony wasn't entirely sure how long gods lived for. Forever maybe? He didn't know and really it didn't matter. All that mattered was that, to Loki, he was probably nothing. Another mortal plaything. He wondered if Loki thought this was some game to him. That seemed rather cruel, even for Loki.

He pressed his back to the icy wall, sliding down the smooth surface until his butt hit the equally icy ground. Cold water ran over him, making him shiver. But it wasn't just from the cold.

He felt frozen inside. He had never loved someone before, didn't even want to think what it meant. He was supposed to be a playboy, messing around with other people's hearts. He didn't mess around with his own. He didn't get attached. He didn't love. Not like this.

Karma is such a bitch.

He sighed slowly, staring down at his arm. He still looked horrid. Bruised, purple, blue and black. He had wanted to tell Loki but he didn't know how. He didn't want the god to worry.

It only hurt when he tried to move it. But it seemed as if it were spreading. The bruised skin seemed to be creeping over the still undamaged skin. Up his arm, it had almost reached his elbow. Down his arm, it reached just above his wrist.

He swallowed, turning his gaze away. He wondered how long it would take for his arm to fall off and wondered why the fact didn't bother him as much as it should.

He reached up his uninjured arm, turning off the cold water. He stood slowly, taking up some fur towel and dried himself off.

He got dressed in some fresh, warm clothes. Furs from some type of animal. He hoped it had been killed humanely. Or...Jotunly? Point being, it was animal fur. White and blue. He didn't know animals had blue fur but really, nothing could surprise him anymore. He got some warm pants and there were fur boots which he decided to wait till tomorrow to put on.

He went back into the room to find Loki fast asleep under the sheets of the bed. Tony felt the corners of his mouth twitch up into a smile. He couldn't help it. Loki seemed so at peace, more calm than he had ever seen him.

He walked over and clambered up onto the bed. He thought about the cave, how they would cuddle up to one another for warmth. But under the blankets there was no need for it. He was as toasty and warm as he'd ever been since arriving on another word.

But he still felt frozen inside.

Loki murmured in his sleep, turning and opening a single green eye to look at Tony sleepily. He sighed softly before moving closer, tucking himself into Tony's side. Tony was surprised at the gesture. He didn't think Loki would do that.

Loki let out a soft breath, relaxing into Tony, seeming to melt. "Warm…"

Tony couldn't help but agree as the icyness inside him seemed to melt ever so slightly as he let himself close his eyes and slip into a blissfully dreamless sleep. No nightmares for the first time in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒So, what do you guys think of nice Laufey? Personally, I like nice Laufey✒


	10. Don't Touch The Water—WHAT DID I JUST SAY?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language ⚠️

The next morning, Tony woke to Loki already up and dressed. He'd apparently risen early to sort out everything they may need for the trip to Midgard. He'd packed three bags full of clothes, food, water, toiletries (thank god for the toiletries) and other survival equipment he'd asked for from the servants.

Tony didn't think it would be that hard to climb a tree but the look Loki sent him when he spoke aloud made him think otherwise.

"Come along. My...my Father is waiting," Loki said once Tony had gotten out of bed and pulled on the fur boots he'd been given.

It was clear by the slight hesitation from Loki when he said 'Father' that he was still getting used to it all. But Tony was glad he was willing to try. Laufey seemed like a pretty cool guy all things considered.

Tony followed after Loki who seemed to have memorised the halls that led back to the grand room. Laufey was already there, waiting for them, Helblindi and another frost giant with him.

He eyed the bags Loki had over his shoulders. Tony had his own bag he had over his own shoulder. He had offered to carry Loki's bags for him but Loki had refused the help saying he could handle himself. Tony believes he could so he didn't object.

Laufey looked at Loki now with a slightly sad smile. "I'm supposing you've made up your mind."

Loki nodded stiffly. "Yes, Father. I'm staying with Anthony. We're both going back to Midgard."

Laufey glanced at Tony who gulped. He didn't like the look on Laufey's face though he couldn't place the look. All he knew was that he didn't like it.

Laufey looked back at Loki. "As you wish. I wanted to introduce you first to your other Brother, Býleistr."

Býleistr smiled easily at Loki. He was much shorter than his Brother Helblindi but taller than Loki though not by a lot. "So, you're the long lost prince, Loptr?"

"I go by Loki, but yes," Loki agreed, his voice flat. "And I have a Brother."

Tony grimaced at the flash of hurt on both of the older Brother's faces. Dammit, Loki.

Loki averted his gaze from everyone's eyes, even Tony's. "I wish to leave now."

Tony gave the pair apologetic looks before glancing at Laufey who seemed slightly taken aback but nodded regardless. "Of course. But first, if I could have a word with your mortal companion."

Tony blinked. "Me? Why me?"

Loki looked nervous at letting Tony go off alone with the Jotun King but slowly nodded. "Be quick."

Tony took a deep breath to calm himself as he followed the King out of earshot. They stopped a littles distance away so Tony was still able to see Loki for which he was glad for. He guessed Loki was glad also as the gods eyes never left him as he turned to Laufey.

"Whatever you think I did, I didn't do it," Tony stated quickly. It was his usual to go to line whenever he thought he was in trouble. Usually it was either Steve or Fury he was saying it to.

Laufey raised an eyebrow. He was a lot like Loki in some ways that Tony found it slightly scary. "You're not in any trouble. I only wished to ask…" Laufey sighed. "It pains me to allow Loptr—Loki, to go off on a very dangerous journey. But I will not stop him. He is like me when he has his mind set on something, then nothing will stop him. I ask you to watch over him and protect him."

Tony listened to all this silently. He coughed slightly when the King had finished. "Look, Sir. I am, of course, going to protect Loki as much as possible. But he can handle himself pretty well, so—"

"I do not mean from the dangers of the world though that too can be included," Laufey interrupted. "I mean from himself."

"Himself?" Tony repeated.

"Yes. Our family…" Laufey shook his head. "It is hard for us to trust. Loki, I can see, is the same. But if he cannot trust then he will not be able to love. It's one of our families greatest flaws. If he cannot love another...he will never be happy. I want him to be happy," Laufey said insistently. "I see the way he looks at you."

Tony's eyes widened. "M-me? No, he doesn't love me. He's...he's a god. I'm just some mortal that got thrown into his shitstorm of a life. He doesn't love me. He doesn't even like me! He-he...tolerates me! Barely."

Tony mentally cursed himself as Laufey gave a knowing smile. "You love him too. That's good. What I ask of you is to not break his heart."

Tony swallowed. "That's a harder task then it might seem. I mean...Loki's heart is...like ice...or encased in ice anyway. Not cold itself but...very very fragile. Much too delicate. Drop it and the whole thing shatters," Tony explained with a slight chill running through him at the thought of breaking something so precious.

"But with love and a bit of warmth, the ice melts, does it not?" Laufey said, making Tony hesitate. Well, he wasn't wrong.

"I'll try my best, Sir," Tony said after a pause. "I care about him a lot." He looked over to where he could see Loki. Loki was still watching them. His eyes were still on Tony. "I don't want to hurt him. He's suffered so much already."

"You both have, it seems," Laufey said. "You have the face of a warrior. Ready for anything. And that," he nodded at the reactor shining through the thick furs Tony wore, "I know mortals do not have. Another battle scar?"

"You could say that," Tony said with a shrug. The reactor had always been a touchy subject to begin with but with Laufey, he didn't mind so much. Maybe because Laufey was as alien to Tony as the reactor must be to Laufey. "And you're right. In my world I'm a hero. I help innocent people. Protect the world."

"I hope you can extend that protection to my son then?" Laufey inquired and Tony nodded.

"Absolutely," he agreed.

Laufey nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now, one last thing."

"Shoot," Tony stated, making Laufey frown at the unfamiliar term.

"The frostbite," Laufey said and Tony's insides froze.

"Don't tell Loki," he said instantly. It was the only rational thought that was processed. He didn't care that Laufey knew or even how he knew. His only thought was that he couldn't let Loki know. To protect Lok, he was forced to have to hide his own pain. He wouldn't allow Laufey to tell Loki the truth.

Laufey held up a hand. "I planned to tell Loki nothing of it. Helblindi was the one to tell me of the infliction he'd placed on you. I am only concerned for your health and it would only hurt Loki if he knew."

Tony calmed his breathing down at this. "Oh, okay...good. Can you...can you fix it?"

Laufey looked pained. "A frost giant's frostbite is deadly at worst, an irritation at best...for a god. A mortal?" Laufey shook his head. "You'll be dead within a week."

Tony swallowed back bile. A week? He had a week to live? No, that couldn't be right.

"Isn't there some kind of cure?" Tony asked, not caring about the tone of desperation he had in his voice. "There has to be something. I can't die in a week. I can't leave Lok—" he broke off. He couldn't believe it. He didn't care about himself dying. He cared about leaving Loki alone.

Well shit.

Laufey looked just as shocked. And sad. "I'm sorry. There is nothing I can do."

Tony took a shaky breath. "Right. So, I got a week to live. Will I still keep my looks or will the frostbite ruin that for me too?"

Laufey ignored the smart comment. "You should go now. Perhaps you'll find something to save you. I know a genius when I see one. You'll figure it out. I wish I could do more…"

Tony licked his lips, thinking hard. "Maybe...maybe there is."

* * *

Loki didn't ask what his Father and Tony had discussed when they came back. If Laufey had wanted him to know then he wouldn't have dragged Tony off so Loki couldn't hear them.

He had said his goodbyes and, after much debating on his part, had pulled Laufey in for another hug. He hated that he had gone so soft to a man he had hated for the past year and a half. But he couldn't help it. He was tired of losing people, tired of leaving them over and over.

And here he was, doing it once again.

He pulled himself away, whispering. "Goodbye, Father."

Laufey looked as if he was on the brink of crying but was trying his hardest to hold it back. "Goodbye my son. My Loptr...my Loki."

Loki had turned and Tony had seen the tears in his eyes as he had walked away. Away from a life he should of had could have had, still can have if it hadn't been for Tony. Since Tony blamed himself for this. For letting Loki leave this all behind.

Tony walked beside Loki, slipping his hand silently into the gods and felt as the other hand tightened around his. 'I'm here,' Tony thought.

They left the castle, following Býleistr. They walked through the villages, frost giants staring at Tony as he passed, Loki having gone back into his Jotun form, saying it helped with the cold, though Tony was too busy looking around at the houses to notice the staring.

They were all so small. Barely something to call a house. A hut would be a better term. Small fires were lit outside them. To cook food perhaps?

He saw children running around, after their parents, after each other. They wore little clothing. Nothing like the furs Tony wore himself. Granted they must be used to the weather. Tony was mortal. It was different. But some walked around naked. Usually the boys or men. The women were more covered as were the young girls.

He could hear children crying, babies screaming for food. He remembered the servant mentioning the low portion of food Jotunheim had since the war. His heart clenched.

This...this wasn't right.

He felt a great surge of hatred towards Odin once again, but this was much more violent. He wanted to break every single bone in the old Kings body. He wanted him to feel the pain of all these people that he had caused. This was his doing and he needed to pay.

Loki kept his eyes on the ground as Tony looked around. Tony understood why. Loki had tried to destroy this race, the cause of his suffering. Loki had never realised how much they had already suffered until this moment. 

A young boy sat with an even younger girl who huddled against him, snow falling in their matching black hair, standing out against each shade. Tony guessed they were siblings. The girl clutched at her stomach, head resting on her Brother's shoulder. The boy didn't look any better, but he said nothing as he gave the girl his food, some frozen looking bread which the girl took with shaky hands, eating greedily.

No, this wasn't right. This would never be right.

Tony's hand with the injured arm twitched, itching to wrap it around a certain Asgardian King's throat.

His hand slipped from Loki's who stopped in his tracks, turning to look at Tony who pulled off his pack. He loosened the strings tying it closed and plunged his hand into it, closing around something which he pulled out. Some sort of meat. He wasn't sure. But there was quite a bit of it. He marched over to the two huddled figures, kneeling down in front of them.

The boy looked up at him, pulling his Sister closer to him who turned her head into his chest. The boy held her tightly, protectively into the safety of his arms, sending a weak glare at Tony. Tony gave a soft, sad smile.

This wasn't right. It isn't right.

He held out the food and the boy stared. Tony felt his heart drop as he wondered whether someone had ever offered these people food before.

There was a slight hesitation before he reached out, taking the meat from Tony's hand. His hand shook like his Sister's did.

Tony stood, moving away. He didn't expect a thank you though he had heard the boy mutter it. He didn't do it for that. He didn't even do it out of kindness though it must have seemed like it to them. He did it because it was the right thing to do. They needed it more than he would.

He looked around at the hundreds...thousands even of other hungry, starving people. Some suffering in silence, some screaming for food, some...some so weak they couldn't manage a sound.

"This isn't right," Tony whispered.

A hand slipped into his and he looked up into Loki's ruby red eyes. "I know," he said quietly.

Loki tugged his hand, leading him away from the sad scene, after Býleistr. Tony couldn't bear to look at it anymore.

They eventually made it out of the village, down the frozen land, following down a stream. Býleistr spoke. "Father does what he can for the people. He goes out daily, handing out food to those who need it. He works his hunters to provide food but…" Býleistr shook his head. "Sometimes it's just not enough."

Tony held Loki's hand tightly. He didn't speak. He didn't need to. He had said exactly what he thought of the village. He had nothing more he could say. It just...wasn't right.

"We're almost there," Býleistr promised.

They walked in silence for a while after that. Loki didn't let go of Tony's hand. Loki was the only thing that kept Tony from falling to his knees and screaming in despair at how cruel the world...the words...really was. Loki was his focus point to keep him from falling under the crushing waves, keeping him from sinking and drowning.

They finally reached a cave. Býleistr stopped, turning to look at them both. "This is as far as I can go. A short way inside there will be a spring called Hvergelmir. Yggdrasil is there." He looked at Loki. "You know how to access it, yes?"

Loki nodded.

"Good. Perhaps I shall see you again. For now, goodbye and good luck," Býleistr grimaced. "You'll need it."

He turned and walked away. He was quickly lost in the falling snow.

"Well, he was cheerful," Tony commented.

Loki rolled his eyes, walking first into the cave, Tony quickly going after him.

It was dark in the cave, Tony's reactor being the only source of light in the space, Loki leading the way. Tony kept close behind him. He knew that large beasts like bears and such live in caves like this on Midgard (again with calling Earth 'Midgard'?!) so he wasn't taking any chances.

They reached the place they needed. A bubbling spring of water. The water seemed to glow, a pale white light.

"Hey, you said there would be a severed head," Tony muttered in a quiet voice. He felt the need to whisper for some reason. "Where's the severed head I was promised?"

"Anthony, do shut up," Loki said, pulling a knife from under his cloak he wore. Did he always wear that thing? Or was he only just noticing it now? "Move back. I don't want to accidentally skewer you."

"Oh, please. If you skewered me it would have been on purpose and you know it," Tony said, though he did as told and moved away, closer to the spring. He glanced down at it. He chewed his lip, crouching down next to it. He wondered if the water were as cold as the rest of the water in Jotunheim. He had a sudden urge to stick his hand in it to see how cold it was. But the way it was bubbling like that…

"Stark, move away from the water. It's boiling hot. I'd rather you not fall in and come out as a cooked lobster," Loki said with that commanding tone in his voice.

"I think I look good in red," Tony quipped.

"Not if you're red yourself you don't," Loki sighed.

Tony glanced over at Loki who was now muttering under his breath, eyes closed. He looked back at the water. It couldn't really be that hot, could it? Now he had an even greater urge to put his hand in it. In fact, he wanted to drink it. He realised just how thirsty he was all of a sudden. His mouth felt like the desert.

He gave a quick look at Loki who still wasn't looking at him, muttering softly. He looked back at the spring again. There was something important about it. He knew he shouldn't drink the water. It could be dangerous.

He found himself reaching out both hands, cupping them together to scoop up some of the water.

Loki muttering ceased but Tony didn't look up. His hands were an inch away.

"Anthony, no!"

Tony snapped out of his daze to look at Loki. He felt his footing slip and he yelled as he fell headfirst into the water, encasing him completely. The shock of it made him try and gasp which led him to choking on water.

Then the heat came.

Loki hadn't been lying. The water was hot. Boiling hot. It felt like lava, peeling back Tony's skin to expose what was beneath.

Tony screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Yup, I'm horrible. Let's find out if Tony dies, shall we?✒


	11. Tony's Meeting With A Really Annoying Head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

The pain was excruciating. His skin felt like it was peeling back, his body filled with lava.

Then the pain suddenly receded.

Tony forced himself to stop screaming with some (a fuck load of) difficulty. He looked around, under the water. His body still felt as if it were being slowly boiled, but the pain had lessened. Or maybe he was going numb.

Then things started getting weird.

Tony thought that maybe he was going crazy, but there it was in front of him.

A head.

It was grinning at him, eyes full of malice. White hair stuck out of its scalp in little tufts. Tony looked down but he couldn't locate its body.

A severed head.

Well...he got what he wanted.

"You're Mirmir," Tony stated dumbly. Really, how many severed heads that lived in a stream of water were there? Then he realised he could breathe. He was breathing underwater. That's new. And he could talk. Normally. No bubbles came from his lips. He was talking like he would on land.

Then he realised the situation at hand. He was underwater. _Underwater_.

Thoughts of Afghanistan came back to him. His head being shoved underwater, his lungs screaming for air, begging them to stop. Unable to breathe, choking on water as his lungs desperately searched for air.

His chest grew tight, but not from the lack of air that he apparently now didn't need. He roughly pushed his thoughts aside. He couldn't panic. Now was not the time.

The head Tony guessed was Mirmir grinned even more widely showing missing and rotting teeth. "The one and only," he said in a watery voice.

"Oh, uh, cool, I guess," Tony said unsurely. "I, uh...fell."

Mirmir snorted. "That you did. I was watching you from the bottom of the water. You were so gullible."

"Wait, excuse you?" Tony asked warily.

"Oh come on. You're smart, aren't you?" Mirmir stated. "Surely you can figure it out."

Tony swallowed. "You...you made me want to drink the water?" It wasn't really a question. As soon as he said it, he knew it was true.

"Well, sorta. You wanted to drink it. They all do. I just gave you a bit of a push," Mirmir said, grinning widely.

"Ew, I drank water that a severed head has been swimming in," Tony made a gagging sound. "Who the hell wants that?!"

The head smirked. "Many people, believe me."

"Many people are weird," Tony stated firmly.

"I suppose so, Anthony." Mirmir gave a light chuckle.

Tony’s eyes widened as he looked at the head. "Y-You know my name?! Of course you know my name! Because my life isn't weird enough!" Tony was starting to sound slightly hysterical now.

"Relax, Tony. I'm only here to...help," Mirmir said with a grin. Tony didn't like the way he said 'help' but he still sighed, resigned.

"Help me with what?" Tony asked after a moment to gather himself. "Please tell me O' wise severed head of the bubbly hot water."

Mirmir rolled his eyes. "You're injured."

Tony blinked.

Then he scowled. "How the hell does everyone seem to know that?"

Mirmir chuckled. "Trust me, kid. There's nothing you know that I don't. When I say I know everything, I mean _everything_."

Tony gulped as he stared into Mirmir's eyes that suddenly looked a thousand years old, swirling with deep dark secrets. He shivered, looking away.

"So...you know the cure? You can tell me what it is?" Tony guessed, a bubble of excitement swelling inside him. He might have the chance to live past a week!

"Well, yes. I _do_ know the cure to that frostbite. But I'm not just going to give it to you for _free_ ," Mirmir told him.

Tony glared at him. "Excuse me, buddy. But I think you better explain what the fuck that means before I punch a crater in your face."

Mirmir smirked. "Payment, Tony. Nothing comes for free. Out of anyone, you should know that."

Tony sighed frustratedly. The head wasn't wrong. "Fine. Fine, what do you want? Maybe a pretty lady head? I'm sure I can hook you up with someone."

"Funny. Really," Mirmir deadpanned. "Look, it's easy stuff. Or, sort of. For knowledge on how to acquire the cure, I want your service for…" Mirmir seemed to take a moment to consider the amount appropriate though Tony doubted that Mirmir didn't already have a price in mind. "I'd say...five years is fair."

Tony choked on air. Or water. Whatever. "F-five _years_?!"

Mirmir frowned at him. "You are the engineer one aren't you? Not the deaf archer?"

"You...you can't expect me to work with you for five years! I have to go home! I have to see my friends, family!" Tony exclaimed, waving his hands to make his point though he probably looked like an idiot flapping his arms around like a bird.

"Oh no. You misunderstand me. I'm not keeping you here. No, you keep going on your journey back to Midgard. The deal is that, if I need you, you come to me. No exceptions. No excuses. I don't like people who whine," Mirmir said, pulling a face that seemed to portray a mix of annoyance and exasperation.

Tony chewed his lip. "So...I can still go home? But I wouldn't even know how to get back here. I don't have magic powers and all that shit. I'm mortal. I wouldn't be able to get here to...serve you," Tony scowled at the last two words. It made him feel too much like a slave.

"You would be, technically," Mirmir said and Tony stared at him.

"Um, what?" He asked incredulously.

"A slave, Tony. Technically you would be. Nothing wrong with that though," Mirmir said with a lopsided grin. "I got plenty of technical slaves who are pretty okay with serving me."

"Can you...read minds or something?" Tony asked warily.

"More like your expression and body language," Mirmir said dismissively. Tony wondered how he could read body language considering the guy didn't have one. "As for you getting here and back, don't stress. I'll go to you or bring you here by my own means so you don't have to worry about it being...mortal and all that. You don't need magic for me to use you for my means."

Tony blinked. It took a lot of effort not to look down at the body the head should have had and ask 'how' but he managed. "Right. Great. But...five years? Can't it be less?"

Mirmir shook his head. Or as least, it looked like it. A lot of turning left and right and almost tipping over which would be sure to make Tony lose the contents of his stomach.  
"I think I'm being very generous on my offer or five years. I could have made it much longer. Take it or leave it. Your death doesn't bother me," Mirmir said with indifference.

Tony swallowed. He knew he would. He couldn't die. He figured Mirmir knew he would as well. It was only a waiting game until he cracked and gave in. And he would.

Because he couldn't leave Loki.

Guilt and fear built up in him. Oh shit. He'd forgotten that Loki had literally just seen him fall into boiling fucking water. He was probably freaking out right now as Tony talked to a severed head.

"Okay, okay. I guess I'll take the job," Tony mumbled reluctantly.

Mirmir's grin stretched right across his face in a really creepy way. "Perfect. Now listen closely, because I'm not repeating myself."

Tony moved a little closer though it was difficult. He never had to swim after Afghanistan so he was a bit out of practice. "Lay it on me."

"Your injury is caused by frost, from the cold. What counteracts cold?" Mirmir asked.

"Heat," Tony answered, wishing internally that the head could just get on with it so he could go show Loki that he was okay.

"Very good. Now, here's what you need to know. On your way back to Midgard, a lot is gonna happen that is going to cause you a lot of pain and misery," Mirmir told him casually.

"Wait, what—?"

"Shush, I'm not done. As I was saying, pain and misery," Mirmir said and oh man was this head just asking to be punched in. "But the highlight is that you'll find your cure along the way! The cure is a completely selfless act. I know, I know. This is starting to sound like Anna from Frozen, but," Mirmir shook his head, "it's more than that. Once you do the selfless act not only will you get your cure, but you'll find out something you never knew about yourself. Whether that's good or bad...I'll let you decide that for yourself."

Tony took a moment to digest all that. "Okay...okay so, I just keep going? I gave up five years of my life to be told to keep going and I'll find it anyway?"

Mimir grinned wickedly. "And they call that god you're in love with the god of Mischief. But, hey! At least you know you're not going to die anytime soon! I mean, there's a chance you might still die along the way. But survive all that and you should be good. I'd hate to lose another slave."

"Another?!" Tony squeaked.

"You go now. I got stuff to catch up on and Loki is about a minute away from jumping into the water. Believe me when I say it will likely kill Loki if he tried. The only reason you haven't boiled it because I'm preventing it," Mirmir said as Tony's eyes went wide at the thought of Loki throwing himself into dangerous waters to save him. "Now shoo. I got Netflix shows to stream."

Before Tony could wrap his head around how _that_ would work, the heat started sinking back into his body and knew whatever protection had been placed on him was wearing off. Before he could yell at the annoying head 'Thanks for nothing' he turned and kicked his legs to get to the surface before he was cooked.

He heard Mirmir's laughter follow behind him.

* * *

Tony's muscles were screaming bloody murder when he finally broke the surface of the water, gasping and flailing around.

A hand wrapped around his wrist and pulled, tugging him to the water shore and dragging him out completely.

Tony coughed and spluttered, curling in on himself. His skin felt so hot and raw. Pain was everywhere. Everywhere. Fuck, fuck, fuck-

"Anthony! Anthony, can you hear me?" A voice was calling his name. It sounded familiar.

"Loki?" He croaked out.

"Oh, thank Odin," Loki breathed, taking Tony's face between cool hands that felt soothing against his hot skin though he still hissed as being touched made his skin prickles and sting.

"I'm okay, Lo. Little water never hurt anyone," Tony tried to reassure the god but Loki wasn't having it. To be honest, those words were more of a lie than anything Tony has ever said before. Water could hurt. Had hurt him before.

"You were down there for three whole minutes! I-I thought it was too late. I thought...I thought…" Loki was breathing way too fast though he was trying not to show just how scared he'd been.

Tony pushed himself up with an effort that made all his body scream in protest but he ignored it. Loki was scared. Loki was upset. He was the cause of it. If only he had listened-

"Hey, come on now. I'm okay," Tony murmured softly, taking Loki's cool hands from his cheeks and holding them tightly. "Loki, look at me."

Loki did so, red eyed shining with unshed tears. It made Tony's heart break while he mentally cursed himself for being such an idiot.

"I thought I lost you," Loki whispered.

Tony felt his heart skip a beat at the sentence. Sure, Loki only meant that without Tony there was no way for him to go to Midgard (Earth, ugh!) but it made Tony feel needed and wanted by the god, even though it wasn't in the way Tony wanted.

But he would take what he could get.

"Loki," he mumbled, cupping Loki's cheek, brushing a thumb over the cool skin beneath his burning hot fingers. "I'm okay. I promise you."

Loki lowered his gaze. "If you ever do something so foolish again, I can and will stab you for it."

Tony smiled slightly. "That's how I know you love me."

Loki rolled his eyes, but managed a smile before it faded, touching Tony's arm which was bright red. "Are you in pain?"

Yes.

"Nah, I'm okay. Just a small burn," Tony lied, brushing away Loki's concern. He didn't need it. It would only accomplish giving him false hope that Loki cared for him in the way Tony knew he never would have.

Loki slowly nodded, brushing cold fingertips from the side of Tony's face, down his neck, his shoulder, his arm.

The injured arm.

Tony jerked back and grimaced when he saw the flash of hurt in Loki's eyes. "S-sorry. I'm okay. I didn't mean to...just really hot."

Loki stared at him for a moment, his face unreadable before it cleared like a canvas wiped clean and smirked. "That's one way to put it though your ego doesn't need much of a boost."

Tony sighed in relief, smiling. "Yeah, glad your sarcastic ass is back. Are we going? I'm so ready to leave." So he could find the cure. So he could have more time to have Loki love him back.

"Yes, come along," Loki said, standing and offering his hand. Tony took it and Loki helped him up before didn't let his hand go.

Tony didn't say anything as Loki held tight to his hand as he walked back to the spring. He was half convinced to see Mirmir's laughing head beneath the water, but he saw nothing.

Loki let his hand go to take up the knife he'd dripped on the floor, likely when Tony fell into the water.

Loki raised the knife in front of him, reaching his arm out, over the water. Tony stared at him, wondering what the hell he was planning on doing. Drop the knife in the water, perhaps?

But the knife was jabbed forward and...and a light appeared in the air. Loki dragged the knife upward and the light grew in the dim cave. Like a rip, the light spread open and Tony's eyes went wide as he stared.

"I'll go first. You come right behind me, okay?" Loki explained firmly, leaving no room for argument as he stepped out over the water, one foot going through the split in the air. He stepped through, turning to look at Tony who was hesitating.

"Are...are you sure it's...safe?" Tony asked warily, fear in his golden brown eyes.

Loki gave him a gentle look, holding out his hand. "Do you trust me, Anthony?"

Tony stared at the offered hand. Did he trust someone who had once been a former enemy? Who could easily lead him to his doom? The god of Mischief and Lies? Did he trust Loki not to hurt him? To keep him safe? Did he trust him like he had others who had ended up hurting him? Who had manipulated and used him for their own selfish gain?

Did he trust Loki?

Tony was already nodding as he reached out, taking Loki's hand and was pulled through the rip in reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Yup, Tony lived! And he might have a cure to his injury (maybe). Let's see if he and Loki survive!✒


	12. Aquaphobia? Nah, Torture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: mentions of torture, strong language⚠️

"Oh my fucking gods."

Loki, now back in his Aesir form as his Jotun form was no longer needed now that they weren't in Jotunheim, smirked at Tony's thunderstruck expression. It was a funny look on the man who was normally not an easy person to shock or amaze.

"That's...that's a tree. I mean, I know you said it was a tree, but that's an actual _tree_!" Tony exclaimed. "And it's fucking huge! That could last the world paper until the end of fucking time!"

They stood on one of the many branches of said tree. The branch was roughly the size of a soccer field. Loki could understand Tony's initial shock. He'd been amazed at the size of Yggdrasil when he first encountered it also.

The trunk of the tree went very wide, like a wall of bark that stretched for hundreds of kilometers. Maybe thousands. Loki wasn't sure. No one had ever measured Yggdrasil before. Stay too long and you start to go insane.

"Perhaps not cutting down Yggdrasil is a good idea, Tony," Loki stated before gripping Tony's hand tight when the mortal started listing sideways. "Steady. It's alright. Just breathe."

"So...fucking...big," Tony whimpered, burying his face into Loki's chest. Loki put a hand behind Tony's head, running his fingers through the geniuses brown curls soothingly.

"I know it's a bit disorienting, but you'll get used to it. Just keep breathing and don't let it overwhelm you," Loki advised.

Tony nodded shortly into Loki's chest. He was shaking though whether that was because of the wet clothes Tony still wore or the intimidation of Yggdrasil getting to him, Loki wasn't sure. Maybe both.

"The best thing to do is keep moving. Just keep your eyes ahead of you. Come on now," Loki said softly, squeezing gently at Tony's hand until the genius drew back, fear swirling in those brown eyes but nodded, determined.

They moved slowly, for Tony's sake so he could adjust to Yggdrasil with each slow step forward, but Loki wished they could move quicker. Yggdrasil wasn't a place to linger.

They passed many things on the way, Tony's eyes widening with each new discovery.

"What's with the ink blackness down there," Tony asked, pointing over the edge of the branch.

"Ginnungagap," Loki said. "An expanse of nothing. Whatever falls into there I pity. Once you fall in, you never come back out. It's like a black hole but much _much_ larger."

"Ginnun-I can't even pronounce that," Tony said, shaking his head. "Why do you Norse gods gotta make everything so hard to pronounce for us poor mortals?"

"So you know your place as such mortals," Loki said with a smirk.

Tony rolled his eyes. "What's up with that then?" Tony asked, pointing now to a crack in the bark. Not just a small crack, but one the spread of a large house.

Loki looked over at it, seeing something like lava a million miles below the breakage. "Different worlds. That one looks like Muspelheim, but I can't be sure. There's many different worlds. An infinite number."

"O-oh," Tony said in a small voice.

"It does make you feel rather small, doesn't it? But you'd be used to that, wouldn't you?" Loki said with a teasing smile.

"Again?! You better stop making fun of my height mister," Tony grumbled though a smile flickered across his face.

"Or else what? What will you do?" Loki asked, smirking at his mortal.

Wait, 'his'?!

"Or else I'll-" Tony stumbled, tiredly trying to right himself. Loki clutched his hand tightly as the other reached out and held onto Tony's shoulder. "I-I'm alright. Just...just tired," Tony mumbled as he mostly regained his footing.

How long had they been walking for? Loki didn't know. Time was already slipping from his grasp. A god could go on for quite a while so tiredness wouldn't bother him. But a mortal? It wouldn't be long before Tony collapsed. He was surprised Tony hadn't already, considering what he'd gone through before entering Yggdrasil.

"We should rest. Start again in the morning," Loki said despite Tony's instant protests. "It's alright, Tony. You're tired, I understand that. Come now. You need some warm, _dry_ clothes before you catch hypothermia or something equally horrid."

Loki missed Tony's small flinch. "Alright, fine. But only for a little while. Just...need to catch my breath a bit," Tony huffed.

Loki was starting to worry for Tony. He was a stubborn mortal but he was afraid that the stubbornness would end up getting him killed.

They walked a little longer before finding a particularly nice spot in the crook of a twisted branch to rest. Tony crumpled as soon as Loki said he could sit down.

"Tony!" Loki exclaimed, panicked as he knelt down at Tony's side.

Tony batted him away. "'M fine, Lo. Leave me be."

Loki sighed. This man was going to be the death of him. "Would you like some change of clothes?" He asked, poking Tony when the genius didn't respond for a minute.

"Mhm. Yeah, sure," Tony mumbled.

Loki rolled his eyes, but got Tony some warm clothes to change into. It took a lot of coaxing to get Tony to sit up and change. Loki turned away when Tony did so to give the man some privacy.

"That's better," Tony admitted once he had fresh clothes on, wringing out his wet ones and tossing them into the pack.

"Glad you think so. You should eat. You're likely hungry and I won't take no for an answer here," Loki stated firmly, taking out some cold meat for Tony to eat.

Tony took it without complaint. He _was_ hungry. "What about you? You should eat too, you know."

"I will when I need to. Gods can last much longer than mortals can without substance," Loki told him, watching Tony eat greedily.

"Doesn' stop you from bein' hungry," Tony said around his mouthful of meat. Gods it tasted like Heaven. Sure, it hadn't been long since he last ate but after the whole falling in the water incident? He was fucking starving.

"Close your mouth when you're eating," Loki chastised him. "Just like Thor. No table manners whatsoever."

Tony swallowed his food. "Except we're not at a table. Hell, we don't even have plates."

Loki shook his head but smiled despite himself. "Eat your food, Anthony."

Tony didn't make a smart comment back, eating his food with gusto. They sat in comfortable silence as Tony ate and Loki checked over their supplies for something to do.

He'd rather be moving, getting to their destination faster but the effort would kill Tony and Loki wasn't indestructible. But staying in one spot made him nervous. Yggdrasil wasn't just a tree holding all the worlds. It contained things...creatures that lived in the tree. When someone entered Yggdrasil, all those creatures would be alerted. Like a parasite invading their home. It was just a waiting game to see which creature killed them first unless they got to Midgard quick enough.

Tony finished his food, got up and walked over to Loki who rested his back on a raised piece of bark. Tony sat down beside him, skooching up close to the god. Loki wrapped an arm around him and felt how Tony seemed to melt into his side.

Tony's skin was still hot. Heat radiated from him in waves but Loki ignored it. There was nothing he could do about it. So long as Tony wasn't in any danger, then he could deal with Tony's skin being a bit too hot. It wasn't the most unnatural thing in the nine worlds. Besides, he enjoyed the warmth Tony provided to his own cold skin.

"Are you alright?" Loki asked gently.

Tony nodded, leaning more into Loki's side. "Yeah. I feel a bit better now," he sighed. "Just...thinking."

"Thinking? What a feat, Stark," Loki said, biting his lip to keep from laughing as Tony pouted at him.

"I'm a genius. I think a lot.  
Sometimes...sometimes too much," Tony said quietly.

Loki frowned. "What is it that you're thinking of?"

Tony visibly swallowed. "I was thinking...when I fell in...in the water, I thought of...something that happened to me. Before I became Ironman. Or the reason I became Ironman. I'm not really sure which anymore. Maybe both? I don't know..."

"And what is the reason you became Ironman?" Loki prodded, urging Tony on. He wanted to know what was wrong, if he could help somehow.

"It's...I was doing a demonstration for a weapon I made out in a clearing so no one could be hurt by it. Made some mountains explode," Tony shrugged. "On the way back, there was an attack. Terrorist. The people who were there to protect me were killed. I got out of the car and ducked behind a rock. Tried calling for help when a missile landed right in front of me."

If Loki didn't know better, this is the part of the story where the person would have been blown to bits. But Tony was obviously alive though Loki didn't see how. He'd heard of those Midgardian weapons they built. They were lethal.

"Funnily enough, the missile was one of my own. It exploded of course, right in front of me. I didn't have the time to run. I blacked out. I remember a lot of pain. My chest constantly on fire, burning hot from the pain," Tony continued though his voice was pained. "When I finally came around, I had an electromagnet in my chest hooked up to a car battery."

"What?!" Loki hissed, outraged.

"Yeah, it sucked for me too. Apparently the missile lodged some shrapnel in my chest that slowly made its way to my heart, but the magnet stopped them. Without it, I would go into cardiac arrest and shortly after that, I would die," Tony explained casually as if it were a normal thing to explain your greatest weakness to your enemy.

Even though they weren't enemies anymore, it must have taken Tony a lot of trust to tell him that secret. Likely, the reactor Tony had does the same thing.

"The terrorists wanted me to make them a missile I made. I wouldn't. I wouldn't give into them," Tony said quietly. "They tried to...convince me."

One look at Tony's pinched face told Loki all he needed to know. "They tortured you."

Tony forced a nod. "Yeah. They...they would...they would push my head underwater. Make me suffocate and choke on it until they decided to let me come back up for air. Each time they asked me to make the missile. Every time I refused. On Midgard they call that waterboarding. I...I still have trouble going anywhere near water. It terrifies me. They call it Aquaphobia but to me it's just the fear I got from torture because I broke under what they did to me."

Loki held Tony just a bit tighter. "You are a brave man for refusing to give in. Lesser men would have broken under that kind of torture."

"Like I've said, I'm not like other men," Tony said, trying to smile but it looked strained and forced. "I escaped eventually. Built myself my first Ironman armor. Blew the place to smitherine. A guy, Yinsen, died when we tried to escape. He was the one who helped me, a friend in that hell hole. They threatened to hurt him when they thought I was doing something suspicious. I tried to protect him but...I failed," Tony looked down. "He told me not to waste my life. I've tried not to do that ever since, tried making my life worthwhile."

"You're life is worthwhile," Loki told him. "More worthwhile than any other mortals I've seen on Midgard."

"Thanks, Lo," Tony mumbled. "But what about you?"

Loki stiffened. "What do you mean?"

Tony looked up at him. "What happened to you while you were in Asgard's cells? You looked like absolute shit when you were led out for the trail."

Loki looked away. "Nothing of importance."

"Hey," Tony said softly.

Loki felt Tony reach for his hand but Loki moved it out of Tony's reach. He couldn't do this. It was too hard to open up. He couldn't do it. Not yet.

"I'm sorry, Anthony. I just...I do not wish to speak of this at the current moment. Not now. I will tell you when I'm ready to be open with you but...please. I can't," Loki said, hearing the pleading tone in his voice and hating himself for it.

Tony nodded. "No, it's okay. I get it. It's hard to talk about. But if you ever need to or want to talk about it then I'm always up for a chat. If you couldn't tell," Tony gave Loki a lopsided grin. "I kinda love to talk."

"You don't say," Loki said, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. He sighed. "I just wished that..."

"What?" Tony asked, encouraging him to talk, to open up. And by Odin did Loki want to.

"I wished...I wished to have apologized to Thor. I always said he wasn't my Brother but..." Loki shook his head. "He wasn't really. He was so much more. He was my only friend in my youth. But...we drifted apart. I wanted to tell him sorry for that."

"You will," Tony stated with such surety that Loki almost believed it. "It isn't your fault you two drifted apart. It just happens. But you'll never lose the bond you have with him. I know Thor still cares about you. I don't think the guy could stop caring even if he tried."

"What if I don't make it back? What if something happened to me and I never got to tell him I'm sorry?" Loki whispered.

"Not gonna happen, Reindeer Games," Tony said after a pause. "I'm not letting you die. If you go down, I'm going down with you."

Loki looked at him surprised. He had never had someone who would die for him before or who wished to go with him. It was...it was both flattering and frustrating. He did not wish Tony to die.

"Are you sure you're well?" Loki asked, half joking and half serious. If Tony was saying things like that then he must be feeling delirious.

"Just...tired," Tony managed. "It's been a long day."

"You can sleep," Loki told him. "I'll keep watch in case anything creeps up on us in your sleep."

"And doesn't that just make it so much easier to have no nightmares," Tony mumbled snarkily though his eyes were already slipping shut. "Wake me up if you need me..."

Loki looked down at Tony to see he'd already fallen to sleep. Loki's emotions swirled in his green eyes as he looked at Tony's peaceful face. One emotion stood out among the others.

Love.

Loki never thought he'd feel that emotion again. Not for another. But here he was, loving another, a mortal, a genius, a man, a person. Whichever way he put it, it still didn't change that he loved him.

But then the other emotions came with it.

Protectiveness to keep Tony safe from others and the world. Fear that he wouldn't be able to, that he would lose him. Hope that perhaps Tony would share his feelings. Crushing despair when he realised Tony would never like him like that, especially not love him ever. Fury at the people who had hurt him.

Loki shoved all those emotions away except the love he felt for this mortal man as he leaned down, pressing his lips lightly to Tony's fevered forehead. "Get some rest, Anthony. I'll be here when you wake. I'll never leave you, I promise."

And he promised himself to never break that promise no matter what the cost may be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Prepare yourself next chapter for the giant squirrel 😈✒


	13. Squirrel's Like To Eat Nuts. Apparently We're Nuts So This Is A Problem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: self hate, strong language, strong violence, suicidal thoughts⚠️

"YARK!"  
  
"Gah!" Tony lurched upright with a shout of shock and fear mixed into one at the loud noise he'd just heard. What the _fuck_ was _that_?! It sounded like a cross between a bark and a roar which was terrifying in itself without knowing what it actually was.  
  
Loki abruptly sat upright beside him. There were tired bags under his eyes. Had he really not slept at all? It made Tony feel almost guilty, sleeping when the god hadn't. He didn't even mean to. He would have protested and stayed up so Loki could get some rest if he hadn't been so tired.  
  
But that didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was the fear in Loki's eyes. If a god was afraid...Tony did not want to find out what had made that noise.  
  
"Get up. Now, hurry. We've been here too long," Loki ordered, already standing in a flash of movement, collecting their things.  
  
Tony scrambled to his feet as Loki grabbed the packs, throwing Tony his which he caught. "Loki, what's going on—?"  
  
"Please, you have to trust me, Anthony. Now is not the time for questions," Loki insisted, grabbing tightly to Tony's hand so hard it felt like his bones were grinding together as Loki pulled him along.  
  
Tony stumbled after him, trying to match Loki's long legged pace. He knew something was up, that he shouldn't talk and distract Loki from whatever was going on but he always knew he had a mouth with a mind of its own.  
  
"What are we running from? What the heck was that noise?" Tony asked quickly as Loki sped up his pace, Tony tripping over his feet as he tried to keep up. They ducked under a leaf the size of a large blanket that almost wacked them off their feet.  
  
"Ratatosk," Loki said simply but with so much fear in his voice that it made a shiver run down Tony's spine.  
  
"That doesn't explain a lot," Tony mumbled. "What's a Rata— whatever?"  
  
"A squirrel," Loki stated as he marched down the branch. If Loki went much faster, he was going to lose Tony.  
  
"A squirrel? Seriously? We're running from a squirrel? Of course we are," Tony said, feeling himself get worked up into a jittery state. "Because squirrel's are ferocious critters that want to crack us open to see if we're a bad nut. Because clearly we're fucking nuts since we're running from a goddamn fucking squirr—"  
  
"Anthony!" Loki snapped, whipping around to glare at the genius.  
  
"YARK!"  
  
The noise was getting louder and made Tony's eardrums throb. "Squirrel's don't make noises like that, Loki!" He yelled, his fear gripping him.  
  
Loki's fear was very evident in his eyes though he tried not to show it anywhere else. His body language or expression were clear. Loki was obviously trying to keep calm for Tony but he wasn't helping by panicking like he was.  
  
"Ratatosk is not just a squirrel, Tony. He's _much_ more dangerous. The thing will tear you to pieces if it gets its claws on you. Now stop asking questions and _move_!" Loki hissed, turning and started to run, holding Tony's hand to urge him to follow.  
  
Tony was definitely having a hard time keeping up now. He huffed and wheezed, flinching everytime that 'yark' got closer, the noise making his ears bleed.  
  
"Almost, almost," Loki was mumbling under his breath, the grip on Tony's hand painful.  
  
Tony took another step just as his foot got caught in the bark. He felt his ankle drop into a small part of the bark he didn't see and felt his ankle _twist_ and a very sharp _crack_.   
  
His hand slipped out of Loki's as he screamed, falling to the ground. He whimpered, tears gathering in his eyes as Loki dropped down beside him. "Tony."  
  
Tony took large gulps of breath as he forced himself to cry out as Loki pulled his foot free. Pain spiked hotly up his leg and he yelled out.  
  
"Hush, let me—"  
  
"YARK!"  
  
"No, no, no," Loki muttered furiously. His hands were shaking as he placed them over Tony's ankle, magic flowing from his fingertips, seeping into the reddening flesh.  
  
The pain was slowly disappearing, but not fast enough.  
  
"YARK!"  
  
Both of them looked up at the ear splitting bark at a monstrous sight.  
  
It was a squirrel alright.  
  
And it was _huge_!  
  
The claws on it looked deadly and could definitely slice Tony to ribbons. Those two large front teeth would only take one bite to snap Tony in two.  
  
"That guy needs to tone it down with the nuts," Tony mumbled to himself.  
  
Loki didn't appreciate the humor. He took his hands away too early. His ankle still throbbed, just not as badly. He was glad for the healing nonetheless. If they survived this, he'd have to make sure to thank Loki.  
  
The god stood, taking Tony under the armpits and pulling him to his feet, eyes never leaving the squirrel that was watching them from a branch above them. Tony bit back a cry as he was put on his feet. He tried to keep his weight off of his bad foot which helped a little at least.  
  
Loki put himself in front of Tony, hands swirling with the telltale signs of green magic. "As soon as I've distracted it, you run. Run to the trunk of the tree. If I'm not there in ten minutes leave without me. You'll see your world in one of the cracks in the bark."  
  
"No, Loki—"  
  
"This isn't up for negotiation, Anthony!" Loki stated firmly, not looking at him as Ratatosk suddenly jumped from the branch above with a lot more grace for such a large thing. It landed making the branch shake.  
  
Tony gulped.  
  
"Go, Tony. Tell Thor...tell Thor I'm sorry," Loki said, a steel in his tone, his face determined.  
  
"You'll tell him up yourself, Loki," Tony stated. "I'm not leaving you."  
  
Loki looked as if he wanted to argue but didn't get the chance to. Ratatosk seemed to have had enough of their chit chat and lunged forward.  
  
Loki threw his hands up and the squirrel smashed into a wall of green energy. As soon as Ratatosk made contact, the energy flickered out and died.  
  
"Don't stand there! Run!" Loki yelled at Tony who was indeed standing frozen to the spot.  
  
Loki walked forward towards Ratatosk, making himself the target as the squirrel regained its senses.  
  
Tony could do nothing but watch. He tried moving but he was frozen to the spot it seemed. His insides felt like ice as Loki moved towards the creature. He wanted to help but he didn't know how!  
  
Ratatosk bared its teeth and lunged at Loki, more cautiously this time but just as deadly, swiping with its claws. Loki jumped back and ducked, the things claws racking over his head, missing him by a centimeter.  
  
Tony forced himself to move and managed one step forward. He saw Loki grimace, a hand flying up to his head, pressing down on his temple like he had a migraine.  
  
That was a mistake.  
  
Ratatosk swiped its paw, back handing Loki who went flying—  
  
—right over the edge of the branch they stood on. Loki's hands scraped across the bark for purchase but it was too late.  
  
Loki fell, eyes wide with fear and Tony heard himself scream Loki's name as the god vanished from sight.  
  
"No...Loki, _no_!" Tony yelled, running to the branches edge, hoping he'd see if perhaps Loki had fallen on the branch below. Of course the fall from this branch to the next could break a lot of bones, but Loki was god. He'd survive. Ir was better than falling into that void thingy of inky blackness. Ginnungagap.  
  
Tony didn't get the chance to see as the next moment a piercing pain shot through, not his ankle, but his mind.  
  
He gasped out, breath coming out in short gasps that felt painful. Shit, shit, shit!  
  
_'Couldn't even save your friend.'_  
  
Tony whimpered at the voice penetrating his mind, wrapping itself tight, unyielding.  
  
_'The great Tony Stark is no more than a murderer. Not worth enough to even live, are you? The "Merchant of Death". Everywhere you go, death follows you.'_  
  
Tony shook his head, wanting the voice to shut up. He knew he was somehow in danger but he couldn't remember why.  
  
_'Never good enough. Not for your Father. Not good enough for Steve. Now you're not even good enough to save Loki. You were never good enough for anything.'_  
  
"Shut up!" Tony screamed, his voice breaking as he did. No, he didn't want to hear how he wasn't good enough. That he wasn't good enough to make his Father proud. That he wasn't good enough to earn Steve's affections. That he could never be good enough to save the people he loved. To save Loki.  
  
_'You were a fool to think he would have ever loved you back. How could he love a mortal? You're nothing more than a plaything in his eyes. In a hundred years, less, you'll be gone, forgotten. Loki would never give his heart to the likes of you. Now that he's gone I guess you'll never know, will you?'_  
  
Tony fell to his knees, an overwhelming sense of despair grabbing hold of him in a tight grip. His chest felt constricted making it harder and harder to breathe.  
  
He had failed. He was a failure. He couldn't even protect Loki. The one thing he'd promised himself to do. He didn't deserve to live, to breathe, to go on when Loki now couldn't.  
  
_'He's dead.'_  
  
"Please, stop—"  
  
_'And it's all—'_  
  
"No—"  
  
_'Your. Fault!'_  
  
"No!" Tony screamed, a sob tearing from his throat as tears cascaded freely down his cheeks. His mind was running wild, thoughts he shouldn't be thinking, that almost felt like they weren't his own, jabbing into his mind like pieces of glass.  
  
_'No, please no. Just kill me. End me. I can't live without him. I don't deserve to live. I don't. Let me be with him again. Please, please, please. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Please, just end me. Have mercy—'_  
  
Tony pleaded to himself over and over again. He didn't want to go on without Loki. Couldn't. Wouldn't.  
  
Then the voice was gone. He felt as it was torn out of his mind, freeing him from its grip. He gasped in a lungful of air, struggling for it as he looked around.  
  
"Loki," Tony breathed.  
  
"The one and only," Loki agreed. He looked perfectly fine besides a large gash on his forehead. "We don't have much time."  
  
He grabbed Tony's arm, pulling him to his feet as quickly as was possible and started running, Tony behind him. His ankle throbbed in agony but the pain in his mind was enough to ignore it.  
  
There was a loud "yark" behind them but Tony was smart enough not to look. All he had to know was that they were being chased and as Loki said, they didn't have a lot of time before the thing caught up with them.  
  
Tony was in a daze. Loki was alive. Loki was alive!  
  
The more he repeated it, the more that warm bubble swelled in his chest. But it still wasn't enough to make the crushing despair he'd felt, was still feeling, dissipate though he tried to, for Loki's sake.  
  
Loki slowed his pace and Tony tried to ask why they were stopping but his voice wouldn't work. He feared if he opened his mouth all that would come out of it would be a sob of anguish.  
  
Loki turned to him, tilting up Tony's head and for a heartbeat he thought Loki was going to kiss him but Loki only looked his face over with a calculating scrutiny.  
  
"I see you're still in the clutches of Ratatosk," he murmured. "Tony, you must listen to me. Do not let go of my hand, whatever happens. We're going to jump but you mustn't let my hand go or I'll lose you and you will likely die."  
  
_'I deserve to die. I'm a failure—'_  
  
"YARK!"  
  
Loki gripped his hand tight.  
  
"We jump," Loki said, turning to a crack in the branch. It didn't look like Earth. It was way too bright to see much. Blindingly so, but it didn't look like Earth to him. "Now!"  
  
Loki jumped, pulling Tony with him who felt sharp claws rake across his back before he was falling like he had from the portal in New York towards certain death.  
  
_'I'm sorry, Loki,'_ Tony thought as his eyes slipped shut and blacked out from the pain wracking his body and mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Yes, Ratatosk is a real thing in Norse mythology. Even my imagination isn't this weird (that's a lie. My imagination is very weird)✒


	14. Never Call Tony A Dwarf. Or Short. Or Anything Along Those Lines. He Has A "Short" Fume And Can Be A "Little" Savage. Yeah, I'm Hilarious 😂

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language, strong violence⚠️

Tony's head pounded.  
  
He was laid down on what felt like soft earth. There was a steady rhythm of trickling water like a stream.  
  
Everything seemed to just _hurt_. His head throbbed with the beginnings of a headache, his frost bitten arm feeling numb which was both good as it meant no pain but bad because he knew he should be able to feel his arm. His ankle ached which was obviously still not completely healed and his back stung like someone had ripped the flesh from it.  
  
He groaned as his headache grew even worse as he went to blink his eyes open.  
  
"Do not open your eyes. Keep them closed," a voice said sternly, holding his arm in a tight grip. He frowned, doing as asked and keeping his eyes shut. That voice was familiar. He knew that voice. Who…?  
  
"Loki?" He croaked. Ugh, he sounded horrid.  
  
"No, it's Thor. Of course it's Loki. Do I sound like a dimwitted fool to you?" Loki hissed out.  
  
"No. More like a pissy snake," Tony admitted before his arm was whacked. "Ow!"  
  
"Stay still," Loki muttered furiously, hands running over his body.  
  
"You could have at least taken me out for dinner first," Tony mumbled quietly, only to be prodded in the side sharply.  
  
"Will you stop? I'm checking you over for injuries. Only Odin knows how many you sustained from that fight," Loki said, a hint of guilt behind his words.  
  
"The rat...I mean, squirrel. If you can call that thing a squirrel. We're safe from it, right?" Tony asked warily.  
  
"We're not in any current danger, no," Loki said, his hands moving off of him. "Your ankle is swollen which is expected which will make it hard to walk. You got a slight concussion but you're not in any immediate danger from it. There was…that is to say, Ratatosk managed to scrape its claws down your back when we jumped. There...there will likely be scaring. I healed as much as I could."  
  
Tony frowned deeply. There was definitely guilt in Loki's tone. He didn't blame himself for this, did he? And how did he not notice the frostbite on his arm?  
  
"Can I open my eyes yet or do I have to wait for you to kiss me like a sleeping princess?" Tony asked jokingly. "Kiss me, prince charming! Or I shall never awaken from the curse the ghastly wizard named Thor placed upon me!"  
  
Tony could practically hear Loki's eye roll.  
  
"In a moment," the god said before there were some ruffling noises and then what felt like glasses were being slid onto his face, over his closed eyes. "There. It's safe now."  
  
Tony slowly opened his eyes, looking around. Trees surrounded him, a small river to his left. They seemed to be in a forest. It was bright too but he assumed that was because he had just woken up.  
  
"Fuck," Tony groaned as he pushed himself up. "Let's like, never do that again. That wasn't fun."  
  
"Agreed," Loki said with a sigh. "I need to clean you up."  
  
Tony stared at him. "Uh, excuse you? You ain't washing me. I'm a grown ass man. If I want a bath then I'll have a bath myself, thanks."  
  
"Idiot," Loki muttered under his breath. "I don't mean that. I mean so you're presentable."  
  
"Presentable. Yeah, that makes much more sense," Tony said sarcastically. He looked around. Even though this forest looked rather normal, he knew something was wrong. "This isn't Midgard, is it?"  
  
Loki shook his head. "No, it isn't."  
  
"Where are we then?" Tony asked hesitantly.  
  
"Alfheim," Loki said, looking up at Tony as he did. "Home of light elves. Or Alf's is what they're called here."  
  
"Alf's. Yay," Tony said with little enthusiasm. "They won't kill us will they?"  
  
He meant it as a joke but the look Loki gave him made him regret asking. "Hopefully not."  
  
"Oh boy. I can tell this is going to be just...great," Tony muttered. "What's up with the glasses then?"  
  
"To protect your eyes," Loki said simply. "The light on this planet is bright. Far too bright for a simple mortal. If you took those glasses off you'd be blinded. Quite literally. Do yourself a favour and don't take them off."  
  
"Wasnt planning on it," Tony huffed feeling like Loki was treating him like an incompetent child.  
  
"You should bathe. I'm going to go scout," Loki said, standing up. "Please do not wander from here. I've warded it from unwanted things getting in but it won't stop you getting out."  
  
Tony nodded in understanding but Loki had already turned and left, disappearing through two thick trees. One minute he was there, the next- poof! Gone.  
  
Tony wanted to run after him but stayed where he was. Not having anything else to do, he started to strip so he could clean himself in the stream. He hissed out a groan as his shirt rubbed the tender flesh of his back. Fuck, how sharp were those claws?  
  
He stripped down to his underwear, putting the clothes by the stream, hoping no one would steal them (animals do crazy things) and knelt down beside the water. He didn't touch it, just looked. He knew he would have to if he wanted to get clean but it was so much harder now. First Afghanistan, now whatever the hell happened with Mirmir.  
  
He looked down at his arm, the bruises standing out even more than they had before. His whole arm looked pale. The frostbite was definitely spreading further up his arm. It was past his elbow now, creeping up towards his shoulder. He wondered to himself how long it would take for it to fall off. That wouldn't be attractive.  
  
He glanced back at the water. There was no way he would get in the water, but that didn't mean he couldn't wash himself.  
  
He made sure to be careful as he gathered handfuls of water, washing off the dirt from his arms (being mindful of the frostbite) and legs. He washed out any cuts that littered his body. He took his best shot at washing his face but his chest constricted the moment the water made contact with his face so he left it.  
  
As soon as he was done he quickly threw his clothes back on and sat by the packs that were salvaged, waiting for Loki to come back.  
  
He swallowed, trying not to think about what had happened with Ratatosk. The helplessness he'd felt. The overwhelming sense of despair. Loki...Tony had really thought he'd lost him. He was shocked by the simple fact that as soon as he believed Loki to be dead he wished to die himself. What did that say about himself?  
  
He shook his head. He couldn't think about this. Not now. His mindset was in complete disarray and shredded to bits because of that rat. Squirrel. Whatever.  
  
When did his life get so fucked up?  
  
Tony nearly jumped a mile when he heard the crunch of dead leaves being stepped on, whipping around to see Loki walk back to him. "Fucking hell. Announce that it's you next time. I nearly had a heart attack."  
  
Loki snorted, sitting down beside him. "Do you doubt my magic to keep out unwanted guests?"  
  
"Well, I'm guessing your magic is running out since you used it on the squirrel and to heal me," Tony defended himself. "Speaking of, are you okay? You're not hurt? Besides this, I mean."  
  
Tony reached up to touch the healing cut across Loki's forehead. Loki caught his wrist before he could though. "It's fine, Stark. Leave it be."  
  
Tony bit his lip, dropping his hand when Loki let him go. "Does it hurt?"  
  
"Not very much. It is nothing to the injuries you got from the encounter with Ratatosk. Do not fret," Loki said, waving off Tony's concern.  
  
Tony moved a teensy bit closer to Loki, hoping he wouldn't notice as their arms brushed. The contact helped calm him down and Loki's tense muscles seemed to relax. "Did you hear its voice in your head?"  
  
Loki stiffened beside him and Tony mentally cursed himself.  
  
"I did. Nothing I don't tell myself every day," Loki whispered. Tony wanted to ask but the look on Loki's face made him decide against it.  
  
"Did you know it could do that?" Tony asked slowly.  
  
Loki nodded once. "Yes. Ratatosk is...destructive. It likes to tear people apart. Not just physically but mentally. He travels up and down Yggdrasil to two creatures. An eagle that lives at the top branches of the tree named Veðrfölnir and a dragon who lives at the roots called Níðhöggr. He exchanges insults between the two. The more angry they get, the more damage they do to Yggdrasil."  
  
"But...why? Doesn't Ratatosk _live_ in the tree?" Tony asked incredulously.  
  
"Everything lives in the tree. The worlds are a part of Yggdrasil. If Yggdrasil was destroyed all life would be too," Loki explained softly.  
  
"Then why—?"  
  
"I do not know, Anthony. Ratatosk is just like that. It does not care. It's self destructive and there is no reasoning with it. Some things, some people," Loki sighed. "There's just no changing their minds about what they wish to do with their lives because of who they are told to be."  
  
"What do you mean?" Tony asked, feeling more confused than ever.  
  
Loki looked at him, eyes unreadable. There was a silence, a moment of consideration before Loki shook his head. "Nothing of importance. We should move on. The faster we get to Midgard, the better. Can you walk?"  
  
Tony didn't point out that Loki changed the subject as he was more desperate to get home. He'd confront Loki later about it. "Yeah, can you help me up?"  
  
"Like an infant," Loki smirked as he stood, holding out his hand to Tony who pouted. "Give me your hand or else I'll leave you here."  
  
"You love me too much to leave me," Tony said, taking Loki's hand and being pulled to his feet, wobbling a little but staying upright. He didn't see the look Loki gave him at what he said.  
  
"Come along. Please try not to draw attention to yourself," Loki begged as he grabbed both their packs. Tony went to grab his own but Loki took it for him. "I know you love the attention but still."  
  
Tony snickered but nodded, walking after Loki through the trees. "I'm sure I can hold back my awesomeness for a little while."  
  
Loki stepped over a fallen tree, Tony scrambling over it as best he could, almost tripping. Tony ignored the smirk Loki had on his face, obviously having seen Tony almost trip over himself.  
  
"That ego of yours needs to be popped," Loki muttered to himself though Tony heard and grinned though he tried not to.  
  
Instead, Tony gasped as if offended. "How dare you. My ego is a perfectly reasonable size. I'm very modest."  
  
"Your ego is the size of New York," Loki stated as they walked out of the forest.  
  
"Untrue," Tony said, looking around at many houses that suddenly surrounded them. Holy shit. These houses were...posh. Houses for _rich_ people. "It is not the size of New York."  
  
"You're right. It's _much_ larger," Loki said, smirking even more so.  
  
"Hey—!"  
  
"You there!"  
  
The pair froze as they looked up at where the shout had come from.   
  
So _this_ was an elf. Alf. Same thing.  
  
The guy was tall. Taller than Loki even which was quite the feat, but after meeting frost giants, Tony could hardly be surprised.  
  
The guy was also pale. He looked bleached out with light blond hair that almost looked white. He was dressed…oh man, this guy must spend a lot of time in his wardrobe. He wore a sort of suit that was light grey and sharp shoes. Tony guessed he was on his way to some party or something.  
  
"I told you _not_ to draw attention to us," Loki murmured grumpily. "I don't want to kill anyone. I am not in the mood."  
  
Tony looked at him with wide eyes. "You're kidding, right? Actually, you know what? Don't answer that."  
  
The Alf walked over to them, a calculating look in his eyes. "What are you two doing out here?"  
  
Loki gave Tony a look that said _'stay silent and let me handle this'._ It shocked Tony that with just a look he could know exactly what Loki was thinking and trying to say to him but he did as told and kept his mouth shut. Tony felt even smaller as he had to crane his neck to look up at the guy as he stopped in front of them.  
  
"Hello. Me and my friend here were just out on an evening walk," Loki stated in a friendly calm tone, offering a smile that the Alf didn't return.  
  
"Do you have permission to do such?" The man asked.  
  
Who needs permission to go on a walk? What kinda place was this?!  
  
"I don't believe we need permission," Loki said simply. "Twas only a short walk. Say, what kind of suit is it that you are wearing? It is very fine."  
  
Flattery. Tony saw it right away though the guy seemed oblivious.  
  
The Alf smirked clearly pleased. "One of the best kinds. I was very lucky to inherit it."  
  
"As I'm sure you would be. Many are surely jealous of such a fine work," Loki said, smiling easily which this time, the Alf returned.  
  
"Many are," the Alf agreed. "Is this your dwarven companion," he asked, gesturing to Tony who stiffened.  
  
Oh boy.  
  
Somehow, when it's Loki making fun of his height, Tony doesn't care. But this guy? He didn't even know him. He was _not_ getting away with this.  
  
What he said next he blamed on the shitty situation he was in and all the crap that had so far happened. Getting tossed to a frozen planet, almost dying from the cold, getting frostbite from a Jotun, falling into a boiling spring of water, five years of his life gone for a crappy answer for a cure he might not even get, almost being shredded by a overgrown rat, squirrel, whatever and being rejected by Loki. The last one hurt the most.  
  
And now he had to deal with this shit?  
  
No.  
  
No more. He was done taking everyone's crap. He was done being pushed around and used as a punching bag. He. Was. Done.  
  
Loki must have seen the look on his face as he went to say something to likely change the subject but Tony was quicker.  
  
"You know, I've never met a moving tree before," Tony stated with a charming smile as the Alf glared at him.  
  
That's right bitch. Two can play at the height game.  
  
"Anthony," Loki said sharply.  
  
"I mean, you don't have the whole bark color right. Maybe you're a white birch tree?" Tony suggested.  
  
"I am an Alf you little—"  
  
"Hey, buddy. I wouldn't be going on about my height. At least I don't reach the ceiling of a house. Must be annoying banging your head on the doorframe all the time," Tony said, not letting the Alf currently glaring hatefully at him get a word in. "Tell me, do you have any brain cells left from hitting your head all the time or did you lose them all at once when your mum dropped you as a kid?"  
  
"That's enough, Tony," Loki said, grabbing Tony's bad arm, shocking him back to reality.  
  
"Ow! Fuck, Loki! Let me go!" Tony exclaimed, ripping his arm from Loki's grasp. The god stared at him with wide eyes like he'd gone mad.  
  
Maybe he had.  
  
"Can't you control your _pet_?" The Alf asked and fuck Tony was so close to kneeing him in the shin. "Or perhaps you'd like him to be corrected."  
  
"Corrected?" Tony repeated. What the fuck did he mean by that?  
  
"How familiar are you with whipping?" The Alf asked with a smirk at Tony's horror struck look.  
  
Tony didn't see when Loki flinched but he did feel as Loki put a hand to his lower back. Whether it was meant as a reassurance or to tell Tony silently to shut up, he wasn't sure. Maybe both.  
  
"That won't be necessary," Loki said firmly. "In fact, we'll be taking our leave now."  
  
Loki made to move around the Alf but was stopped as the Alf stepped in front of him. Loki looked at the Alf with a light glare, clearly getting annoyed.  
  
"He disrespected a superior and you're letting him get away with it?" The Alf hissed.  
  
"A superior asshole maybe," Tony mumbled.  
  
Hate flashed across that pale face and the Alf went to lunge for him. Tony didn't even have the chance to react. He had no idea what the Alf planned to do to him. Smack him maybe? But the vengeful look in the Alf's eyes made him not want to find out.   
  
Unfortunately for the Alf, he didn't get that far. As soon as he got within an inch of Tony he was thrown back a good ten meters landing in a heap. Oh gods, was he dead?  
  
Beside him, Loki's hands were balled into fists glowing with green swirls of magic, a cold look in his eyes.  
  
Tony stared in surprise when Loki tugged the back of his shirt. "Come on. We need to get off this planet. Alf's don't like magic."  
  
"Is he…?" Tony swallowed. Had Loki just killed for him? That was a scary thought.  
  
"He isn't dead. Likely unconscious. Now we really must leave," Loki said, walking away, not waiting for Tony to catch up though the genius followed.  
  
They walked for a good five minutes before they reached an expanse of rock wall. "This looks fun," Tony commented. "What are we doing here? I thought we were leaving."  
  
"Take my hand," Loki said, holding it out which didn't really answer his question. "If we go separately you'll appear elsewhere on Yggdrasil. If you hold onto me then you should appear with me."  
  
Tony took a moment to think of how many times they had held hands on this 'adventure' or whatever. He wished they weren't always close to death or being chased when it happened though. It was giving him a lot of false hope.  
  
He took Loki's hand who reminded him not to let go before he was walking towards the wall.  
  
"W-wait a second—" Tony started to protest.  
  
"There!"  
  
The shout came from behind them but Tony was smart enough not to look.  
  
"Let's go!" Tony yelped, letting Loki drag him forward, to the wall—  
  
—and straight through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Holy Mother that was over 3000 words! :D✒


	15. No Matter The Cost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

"Not here again."  
  
Loki rolled his eyes at Tony's whining. "We need to use Yggdrasil to get back to Midgard. It's the only way I know how. I did tell you we were going to Yggdrasil. Don't you listen?"  
  
"I'll be honest. I wasn't really paying attention," Tony admitted with a shrug.  
  
Loki sighed. "Why did I agree to this again?"  
  
"You tell me," Tony mumbled. "So, what now, Frosty?"  
  
Loki glared at him. "I regret you ever finding out that I was a frost giant."  
  
"Ah, come on now. You know you love me," Tony stated, grinning easily.  
  
Loki felt his heart leap at Tony's words but ignored it.  
  
"That isn't the point," Loki said with a frown. "We need to keep moving. It isn't smart to linger here."  
  
Tony nodded and Loki started to walk down the branch they stood on. He ducked under the blowing leaves. There was a strong sort of breeze, likely caused by Veðrfölnir. He tried not to let that worry him. Loki would rather not get blown off the branch though. He'd had enough of falling off of Yggdrasil for a lifetime.  
  
He shivered, remembering the void. No, he didn't want to think of that. That was a rabbit hole he'd rather not fall down again. Yes, he had in fact learnt of some Midgardian culture. Alice In Wonderland had been fascinating. But that wasn't important right now. What was important was not lingering on what happened in the past.  
  
But why did it have to be so _hard_?  
  
Loki felt like he was making all the wrong choices, doing all the wrong things. Each step forward sent him hurtling back another ten. He couldn't match the fates pace and he was falling behind. He didn't want to lose sight of what lay ahead in his future.  
  
And his future was currently terrifying him. He didn't know what to expect from it. He was afraid...afraid he'd lose Tony. Afraid that Tony wouldn't want him. No. He wasn't just afraid of that. He was certain. How could Tony ever like him?  
  
Thanos had been right. No one would love him fully. No one would ever want him. He was better off alone. Ratatosk's words echoed in his head though he viciously tried to push them back.  
  
Ratatosk was the one thing he had hoped to never run into. It was bad enough to have to fight the thing, but the harsh words spoken in his mind had quite nearly been his undoing. If he hadn't been so quick, Ratatosk would have been able to tear him to shreds. He had gotten lucky.  
  
But still, the words haunted him. He pushed them down, trying to keep his head clear and in the game but they pushed their way to the surface.  
  
_'Who are you again? Odinson? Laufeyson? Oh, that's right. You're no one's son! You're wanted by nothing and no one. Who could ever love a freak like you, anyway?'_  
  
Loki pushed forward, one foot in front of the other. He tried to ignore the way his breathing had sped up, Tony's worried sounding voice was speaking from behind him but he didn't respond to it.  
  
_'Thanos should have finished you off when he had you. So useless. Couldn't even take over a pathetic world. No wonder your head is wanted by Thanos.'_  
  
But he had failed on purpose! He had done what he had to protect them all. To protect the mortals. He had to make it seem like he had lost so suspicion wouldn't be raised. Thanos would never know and everyone would remain oblivious and happy.  
  
Everyone...  
  
...everyone but him.  
  
_'Your Brother hates you. Your Father's never wanted you. You Mother is disgusted in you. The mortals would watch you burn. Thanos will have you head on a silver platter. No matter who you meet, they always end up with the same opinion on you, don't they? You don't deserve to live or to be loved. No one loves you!'_  
  
Loki remembered choking out Tony's name. Someone he believed that loved him or at the least cared for him. He remembered a cruel laugh.  
  
_'Oh yes, the other unwanted thing. An object the Avengers use. For his mind, for his money. You think he could love you? Pathetic. But what else is to be expected from the likes of you? Loving for someone who will only see you as the monster you are inside. A jotun. A monster!'_  
  
Tony's voice definitely sounded worried now but Loki barely heard it as he stopped in his tracks, breathing hard and fast as the terrifying words he knew came next washed over him.  
  
_'Now you can watch while I kill the one you love.'_  
  
And that had been what had snapped Loki out of his daze to see Ratatosk standing over Tony who had collapsed onto his knees, hands digging into his brown curls, sobbing like his whole world had been destroyed and it made Loki's heart shatter at the heartbreaking sound. He remembered the fury, the fear, the hatred and then he saw red.  
  
After that, it had been a blur.  
  
He had never wanted Tony to get involved. Especially with something as bad as Ratatosk. But the mortal had refused to run. He had stayed, holding his ground even as Loki told him to go, to leave him behind.  
  
_'I'm not leaving you.'_  
  
Tony had stayed. Had stayed for him. No one else but him.  
  
...why?  
  
"Loki!"  
  
"What?!" Loki jumped back, looking around wildly, stumbling backwards when hands grabbed his wrists, holding him in place so he wouldn't trip over his own feet.  
  
Tony's face swam into view, making Loki breathe a sigh of relief.  
  
"You alright? You were zoning out quite a bit there, Lo," Tony said, concern and fear in those golden brown eyes. The colors swirled in them almost dizzyingly, making him look away quickly.  
  
"I'm perfectly fine. No need to worry yourself," Loki muttered, trying to push past Tony but Tony grip was unyielding and using force would only hurt the mortal though he had proven to be quite resilient against Ratatosk and even the harsh temperatures of both Niflheim and Hvergelmir spring.  
  
"Loki, look at me," Tony said when Loki kept avoiding eye contact. "Lokes, come on. Please."  
  
The tone was so pleading and Loki would hate to disappoint the genius that he forced his gaze back to Tony's face.  
  
"There's my favorite Norse god of Mischief," Tony said with a small smile. "What's going on inside that head of yours?"  
  
Loki felt the corners of his mouth twitch at his title before he sighed. "I was thinking of Ratatosk if you must know."  
  
Tony's mouth formed an 'o' shape. "Okay, yeah. Not the best thing to be thinking about. I'd been hoping it was of a devilishly handsome genius but I guess not."  
  
Loki shook his head, but he was smiling now. It was barely there, so tiny you could almost miss it, but Tony saw it and grinned widely. His smile was rather infectious.  
  
"I find it easiest to not think about it, you know?" Tony said, shrugging his shoulders. "The squirrel's words are bullshit anyway."  
  
"Do you believe what it said to you?" Loki asked quietly.  
  
Tony swallowed, looking away. "I mean...some of it, yeah," he admitted. "But...I know it isn't all true. Ratatosk is just a bully. That's it. It's words mean nothing, Loki. It's just a bunch of negativity."  
  
"How can you ignore it's words?" Loki demanded. "I saw how you were sobbing on your knees. How is it that you managed to stand now with whatever it said to you?"  
  
Tony looked down, hands curling into fists though Loki didn't see. "Because I've spent my whole life with people putting me down, always telling me I can never be enough. Usually I break down in privacy but it's kinda hard to do out here. But every time I manage to pick up the pieces and keep going because that's _life_. No one is going to do it for me. No one cares enough to make sure I'm okay. But I'll keep going because I promised to not give up and I'll keep on doing it even if it kills me."  
  
Loki stood speechless for a moment, unsure what to say to that declaration. It had never occurred to him that Tony was suffering in his own silence so badly. Loki had never had someone he related to.  
  
"I didn't know," Loki said softly.  
  
"Know what?" Tony asked, a slight bite to his tone.  
  
"That you suffered so," Loki stated quietly.  
  
Tony looked at him, golden brown eyes hard. "Yeah well, it isn't something I tell just anyone."  
  
Trust. Tony trusted him.  
  
"Look, I...I wouldn't be telling you this if…" Tony cut himself off, swallowing hard, his Adam's apple bobbing along his throat. "I-I wouldn't be unless...I really care about you and..." he shook his head. "Never mind. It's nothing."  
  
Loki's heart was pounding. "Anthony—"  
  
"Let's just keep going, okay? I want to get back to Midgar— fuck! Earth! Whatever. You get my point. I want to get back there, have a good cup of coffee and lock myself up in the lab for a long while," Tony said, stepping away from Loki, his warm hands releasing Loki's wrists.  
  
Loki was going to argue, to say that they were going to talk about this now but he didn't get the chance as Tony started to walk away, obvious knowing Loki would follow and point him in the right direction when a large leaf flew by with the strong breeze, colliding with Tony and sent him flying.  
  
Tony yelled out in alarm, before landing with an "oomph!" in a two meter dip within the tree branch.  
  
Loki shook his head wanting to scold Tony for being such a reckless idiot but couldn't find it in him to do so. He chuckled instead, walking over to the dip and looked down at Tony in amusement before his face paled, all amusement vanishing. "Stark, don't move."  
  
Tony on hearing the warning in Loki's voice, froze while he had been in the process of sitting up. "Please tell me it's not another giant squirrel."  
  
"No, it's not. Just stay very still," Loki stated firmly, a steel in his voice that he hoped would make Tony continue listening to him. "Very slowly, look to your left."  
  
Tony did as told, slowly turning his head until he could see to his left. Loki heard the breath catching in Tony's throat. "Oh fuck."  
  
Beside Tony, was a crack. If he had moved even an inch more to the left he would have surely fallen into it. It was pure luck that he hadn't. He sat on a very small ledge in the dip that was just big enough for him to lay on.  
  
The world Loki saw was of flames. Heat radiated from the breakage in the branch, making Loki shudder in both horror and fear.  
  
Muspellheim.  
  
Not only could the place kill the likes of him, a frost giant but the fire giant, the Muspeli that lived there were enemies with the Jotuns. Naturally. Fire and ice were opposites. It would only make sense for them to not get along. But that wasn't what worried Loki.  
  
"Anthony, I need you to very carefully stand up. I'm going to try and reach you," Loki told the genius who looked at him quizzically.  
  
"Can't you just teleport me up or something?" Tony squeaked. Loki could see that Tony was terrified by his eyes though he was obviously trying not to panic.  
  
"I cannot. The All Father blocked that magic from me. It is why I can only teleport items, not people," Loki explained. "Now stand up carefully. And hurry."  
  
"What's the rush?" Tony said though he slowly stood onto his feet, clinging tightly to the hard bark beside him to stay steady. Beneath his feet, the bark made a crackling noise. A crack appeared between Tony's feet.  
  
Loki heart rate shot up as Tony yelped. "That's why. Now hold out your hand," he said as he got down low on his stomach and reached down his hand for Tony to take.  
  
Tony reached up his own, cursing under his breath was he was a few inches too short. "I fucking hate my height!" He grumbled loudly as he pushed himself onto his tiptoes, brushing Loki's fingers.  
  
Loki reached down as far as he could, managing to catch Tony's hand just as a loud snapping noise was heard and the ledge beneath Tony gave way.  
  
Despite his shortness, Tony was heavier than Loki anticipated which is what he blamed it on later when Loki fell forward, over the edge.  
  
He scrabbled at the bark, his hands getting scratched up in the process before he managed to snag a solid piece of bark, the hand in Tony's tightening as he struggled to hold Tony's weight.  
  
"Fuckity fucking fuck!" Tony swore, legs dangling over the world below them.  
  
Tony looked up at him, eyes wide and fearful. They both knew that they wouldn't make it back up to Yggdrasil like this. At least, not the both of them.  
  
"Anthony," Loki groaned, holding onto the man tighter as his hand started slipping from Tony's. The heat of Muspellheim was making his grip slippery. It was only a matter of time before—  
  
"Let me go," Tony whispered, so softly Loki almost didn't hear it.  
  
But he did and he held Tony's hand even tighter still that Tony's bones might break, Loki shaking his head as he did.  
  
"No. Please, no," he said, voice pained as he thought furiously of a way to pull them both back up. He couldn't lose Tony. Especially not to Muspellheim. Tony wouldn't last an hour there. He had gotten lucky with Niflheim. But this world? He wouldn't survive. It would be a painful death, even if the Muspeli didn't find him first.  
  
Tony grimaced at Loki's tight grip, but his eyes shone brightly, face almost a picture of calm, even reassurance as he squeezed back on Loki's hand with as much force he could clearly muster.  
  
"It's okay," Tony breathed, eyes pleading for Loki to understand.  
  
Loki arm burned with the effort to hold onto Tony. How could this be happening? Why was this happening? Hadn't he suffered enough?!  
  
He begged the Norns to save Tony. Whatever Loki had done, he would pay for it. Whatever it was, he would pay the price. He only pleaded with the Norns to spare Tony, to not let him suffer for whatever Loki had done. He'd do anything.  
  
"Please," Loki begged, voice cracking, pleading with the greater power he knew wouldn't listen for he did not deserve their mercy.  
  
Tony took a shuddering breath, golden brown eyes meeting Loki's poisonous green ones who knew what he was going to do the second before he did it.  
  
"Anthony, no—!"  
  
Tony twisted, kicking his feet on the bark of Yggdrasil hard enough that Loki's sweaty hand slipped from his and he fell, Loki's hand still outstretched as he screamed Tony's name.  
  
It was only a second later that Loki let go of the bark he managed to grab a hold of, plummeting after Tony, hand reaching out. He wouldn't lose Tony. He wouldn't.  
  
He had made a promise. A promise to never leave Tony.  
  
No matter the cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Did I just use Natasha and Clint's last words from endgame? Yes, yes I did✒


	16. Oh, A Fire Dragon...Sure! Why not?? No, Seriously. Tell Me Why

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

Tony really wished he would stop waking up in unknown surroundings. Along with every inch of his body hurting and the beginnings of a headache pounding against his skull.  
  
He groaned as he pushed himself up with shaky hands. Fucking hell, what happened?  
  
Tony swallowed, his throat dry. His mouth felt like a scorpion nest. Hot and dry. He looked around and his eyes went wide as everything came back to him.  
  
Around him, the world was awash in colors of red, orange and yellow, all different shades. The ground he sat on was a dark red and had a rocky texture to it. Walls of the stuff rose up everywhere around him like mountains making him feel small (even smaller than usual that is). Rivers snaked around him. Rivers that were filled with...lava?  
  
The heat radiated from, well, everywhere. The rivers of lava, the rocky ground, even just the air felt like someone had stuck him in an oven. Above him hung the sun. It was huge, taking up almost the whole sky, burning brightly, scorchingly hot against his face.  
  
What had Loki said this world was again? Muspelheim?  
  
Tony's eyes went suddenly wide at a sudden realization and scrambled to his feet, looking around wildly with large golden brown eyes. Where the hell was he?!  
  
His heart thudded hard in his chest at the thought that something bad had happened to the Norse god. What if some beast had found him? What if he had fallen into the lava? What if—  
  
There.  
  
Tony raced over to the still figure he knew to be Loki by the long dark hair and pale skin. Like Snow White. But Tony didn't want to kiss Loki awake. All he wanted was Loki to be alive. Please, let him be alive.  
  
Tony dropped to his knees beside Loki and nearly sobbed in relief when he saw the slow rise and fall of Loki's chest. He was alive. Thank fuck.  
  
He placed his hand to the gods cheek, Loki's normally cold skin hot to the touch and flushed red from the heat. He knew without knowing exactly how he knew that this world was killing Loki. He didn't know how long Loki could last here but he knew that if he didn't figure out a way to get out of here and fast, Loki would die.  
  
And that wasn't an option.  
  
Loki's clothes were torn, ripped up and Tony realised his own clothes were as well. Their packs were nowhere to be seen but that was the least of his worries.  
  
He looked around, his hand never leaving the side of Loki's face as he searched for a safe (or mostly safe since 'safe' didn't seem to be a part of the Norse worlds vocabulary) and spotted a small cave that hopefully didn't have anything living inside it.  
  
Tony moved his hands under Loki, one arm under his knees and the other supporting his back and lifting him into his arms, moving his weight to his chest to easier carry him. Loki wasn't light but he wasn't exactly heavy either though Tony's strength was already seeping out of him.  
  
He took a few steps forward, then stopped to breathe in the hot air before starting again. He wouldn't give up. Loki needed him.  
  
It seemed to take eternity but he eventually made it to the cave entranced, walking a little ways in to peer into the soft glow and saw nothing threatening. He set Loki down gently to the rocky floor that felt at least a little cooler than outside.  
  
Kneeling down on his knees, Tony looked over Loki's flushed cheeks. He considered trying to wake Loki up but he doubted he'd be able to. Even if he could, Loki would only use up energy he didn't have in staying awake. There was nothing Loki could do to help. Which meant it was now up to Tony.  
  
He'd be damned if he didn't help Loki.  
  
Tony stood up, brushing the red gravel from his ripped clothes and looked around the cave. He saw a long thin stick the size of his arm and picked it up. He realized it was in fact just more red rock which only made it more useful as a weapon.  
  
He walked to the cave entrance, looking back at Loki's still figure before he left the relative safety of the cave. There had to be something left of their supplies. Anything that could help Loki.  
  
Tony walked by the bank of the lava, the heat wafting from it making him slightly dizzy. He searched behind every bend, every rock until he saw it. The scattered remains of one of the packs. The pack in question was torn down the middle, the contents having spilled out.  
  
He looked over at what he could salvage. His other pack was gone, but he'd take what he could get at the moment.  
  
Some food, spare clothes to replace their wrecked ones and—  
  
Water!  
  
Tony picked up the water container in shaky hands. This would help Loki. It had to. The world was obviously dehydrating the god and what better to help with dehydration than with water? He just hoped this would help Loki last a little longer until Tony could figure out a better plan.  
  
He gathered the things he deemed necessary for survival and headed back to the cave. He hoped Loki was okay and still asleep. Tony didn't need the god panicking thinking that he left him. Or worse, to go out looking for him thinking he was hurt.  
  
Tony was nearing the cave when he heard the low rumble of voices talking, making him stop in his tracks. He was breathing quickly as he listened to what was being said.  
  
He was actually shocked that he had heard them before he saw them which was a feat considering that they had been _huge_! Of course, he hadn't yet seen them, could only hear them talking. He listened in.  
  
"Are you sure? Why would _their_ kind even be here?" A gruff voice asked.  
  
A second voice spoke, softer spoken than the first but firm. "I'm sure of it. I can smell them."  
  
"It's impossible. Even if it's here, the heat will kill it!" The first said firmly.  
  
The second growled. "That's why we have to get to it first before the heat does."  
  
Tony gulped as loud but slow footsteps drew closer. His eyes flicked to the cave. It didn't take a genius (though he was one) to know what these things were and what they were talking about.  
  
Loki had told him that Muspelheim had fire giants. Muspeli he had called them. And Muspeli's one enemy was Jotun's which was exactly what Loki was. This wasn't Loki's territory meaning the Muspeli would know instantly if a Jotun was here.  
  
Tony had a choice. He could run to the cave and try to carry Loki somewhere safer then here and likely get caught by the Muspeli. Or he could go to the Muspeli and beg for Loki's life in exchange for his own.  
  
Neither option seemed appealing. But he didn't have a lot to work with here. He made a split second decision and ran in the direction of the voices.  
  
When Tony saw them he almost regretted not going with his first idea.  
  
The Muspeli were taller than him (of course they were. Everyone fucking was!) about twelve feet tall from what he could tell. Maybe even taller than that. They towered over him making him crane his neck to look up at them.  
  
There were two, both different shades of grey with patches of skin that swirled with fire. Black lines ran over their skin like Loki had when he was in his Jotun form. Their eyes were different from each other though. One had coal black eyes and the other seemed to have eyes made from flame, red and orange battling each other.  
  
Tony made an undignified squeaking noise which made the fire giants (literally goddamn giants!) look down at him. The shock was not lost on Tony as they gazed at him.  
  
"What is this?" The guy with the flame eyes asked. He sounded like the one who had questioned the first.  
  
"Hey, uh," Tony coughed slightly. "Look, um, I think you were talking about my friend just before."  
  
Wow, that's a great start, Tony! Really!  
  
Tony hated his sarcastic mind.  
  
"We spoke of a Jotun," the one with coal black eyes stated, his mouth pulled down into a frown.  
  
"Um, yeah. That's my friend," Tony mumbled reluctantly. "I'm not really sure what you want with him but—  
  
"I _told_ you I smelled a Jotun!" Coal said triumphantly to Fiery who rolled his eyes. Coal turned but to Tony. "Tell us where this Jotun is, boy."  
  
Tony felt slightly insulted at being called a boy but shook his head defiantly. "Yeah, I don't think so."  
  
Coal snarled but Fiery placed a firm hand on Coal's shoulder.  
  
"Calm yourself, Aragant," he said sternly before turning to Tony who took a quick step back. "Relax. We do not wish to harm you. We just need to know where this Jotun is."  
  
Tony swallowed hard, feeling like he was swallowing glass from the dryness of his throat. "Not gonna happen. See, I kinda want my friend alive and telling you where he is isn't gonna help with keeping him that way. So thanks, but no thanks."  
  
The fire giant raised an eyebrow, glancing at Aragant who looked at Tony like he was a bug. Fiery sighed. "We will not harm the Jotun—"  
  
"Bullshit. I wasn't born yesterday ya know," Tony growled, impressed that his voice didn't waver at Aragant gave him a withering look.  
  
"He's not going to tell us, Jiroch," Aragant grumbled. "We should keep looking."  
  
Jiroch studied Tony, considering dismissing (or killing) Tony and moving on but Tony was nothing if not stubborn.  
  
He hefted his stick of rock threateningly. "I won't let you hurt Loki."  
  
Tony was surprised when the fire giants both took a step back like Tony had grown a second head or something. To be honest, that wouldn't have been the strangest thing to happen to him so far. But that wasn't it. Maybe the mention of Loki's name? Did they maybe know Loki and what the god was capable of? Or were they so shocked at being able to kill someone so important?  
  
But then there was a low rumble in the ground and all thoughts of what made the fire giants step away from him suddenly vanished from his mind as fear gripped him. The ground shaking was like an earthquake but not so strong.   
  
Tony felt his heart racing, breath picking up speed. He dropped his supplies as he whipped around at the sound of a loud screeching roar.  
  
Shit.  
  
He thought fire giants were bad. They had nothing on this thing.  
  
For one it had to be at least thirty two feet tall which was roughly nine or ten meters if he did his math right. Tony couldn't even guess the length of it as he could only see the front half of it.  
  
The thing snarled at him, red scales glinting in the hot sun that was going down at the horizon. A beautiful sunset to die to by being torn to shreds by a fiery dragon.

A dragon. It had to be a fucking dragon. Why? Why couldn't he just have a kitten? Or a puppy? Why did it just _have_ to be a dragon?

His questions went unanswered.

Intelligent golden eyes stared Tony down and made the genius want to point at the Muspeli and scream "take them!" and ducked for cover behind the nearest rock. But he stood frozen instead, waiting for his life to end in a flash of those long sharp fangs.  
  
It roared again, louder making Tony's ears beg for the screeching sound to stop. Tony got a good view of the pink throat and shiny fangs along with a pointed tongue.  
  
Behind him, the Muspeli were whispering furiously. He wondered if the dragon was a pet of theirs they summoned to finish him off. Way to let something else do all the dirty work. But from the hushed whispered, that didn't seem to be the case.  
  
"It's him! It's the Fire Dragon!" Aragant hissed, fear evident in his tone.  
  
"Don't just gawk at him! Run, you fool!" Jiroch whispered back.  
  
That was the last of the conversation before there were hurried fading footsteps, leaving Tony alone with the creature. Just great.  
  
Tony wished he could run too, but he felt stuck to the spoke. His muscles turned to putty as he looked at the creature, the stone stick in his hand slipping out of his sweaty grasp as an embarrassing whimper fell from his lips. But really, can you blame him? He was just glad he hadn't peed himself.  
  
...yet.  
  
But, let's be honest though.  
  
It was only a matter of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Tony, keep control of your bladder, please. We don't want a mess✒


	17. How To Train Your Dragon (Into Not Eating You Straight Away)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

"Easy, buddy," Tony said quietly, a whimper falling from his lips.

The dragon growled low in its throat, stepping one large clawed foot forward that could squash Tony flat if it so chose to. The footfall made the rocky ground shake under Tony's feet and the genius yelped.

Holy hell this thing was terrifying.

But it was handsomely gorgeous too, in a deadly way. The scales reflected red, orange and yellow. Fire spurted out from the chinks in its armor. Golden eyes bored into Tony's. White shining fangs bared, ready to sink them into Tony's flesh. Wings spread out wide, red and black in color, tendrils of fire curling from them. They spread out further than the dragon's own body, three times as large.

Another step forward had Tony in a sudden sense of calm. He was going to die regardless. Tony's eyes met one of the dragon's golden ones and Tony took a deep calming breath. There was no fighting this thing. No escaping it.

The best he could do was stand there and make it as painless as possible.

"Well, this isn't the way I planned to go," Tony stated loudly and suddenly, surprising even himself. His voice was rather steady for a guy facing a fucking fire dragon.

The dragon, who had been in the process of taking another earth shaking step forward, paused as it cocked its head at Tony like 'why is my food talking?'

Honestly, Tony didn't know either. He talked when he got nervous. Knowing you're about to be bitten in half and devoured for a dragon's balanced lunch can definitely make a guy worked up.

"I mean, I knew I would likely die and all but I kinda hoped it would be protecting Loki or, you know, something heroic. Though being eaten by a dragon is kinda cool I guess," Tony admitted, pondering that thought for a moment before he shrugged.

The dragon was still staring at him, clearly buffudled. Tony was rather proud that he'd managed to confuse a dragon. There was a first for everything. Apparently that included being eaten by said dragon. Always fun.

"Are you gonna eat me or not?" Tony asked then, mentally cursing himself. He basically just offered himself up on a silver platter.

The dragon snorted some smoke and started forward again, closer and closer. One thought raced through Tony's mind as the things snout came within an inch of his face, jaws opening wide to show long slim fangs about to pierce his body.

Gods, he hoped Loki would be okay without him.

Tony closed his eyes, waiting for darkness to overtake him when he felt something long and slimy run up his body, over his face, coating it in sticky wet stuff.

He gasped, opening his eyes as the wet tongue was pulled away and was almost knocked over when the dragon pushed its snout into his stomach, huffing smoke from its nostrils as those golden eyes surveyed Tony intently, almost shyly.

Tony brought up shaky hands to rest on the dragon's snout, running over bumpy hard skin and smooth scales. The dragon made a noise, a low rumble in its throat as if it were purring. Tony didn't question it. You don't question why a dragon doesn't eat you, right? You just go with it. Tony was very happy to just go with it.

"You're not so scary," Tony mumbles after he managed to find his voice. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you're terrifying at all. But you're kinda a big softy, aren't you?"

The dragon snorted smoke, pushing Tony again with its snout against his stomach, this time making his footing slip and fell up his back, staring up at the dragon hovering over him.

"Okay, okay. You're terrifying and I nearly wet my pants. Happy?" Tony asked warily though he was slowly starting to smile.

If dragons could look smug, this one did.

Tony huffed. "Look, buddy. I need to get to my friend. He's kinda dying. So if you could move—"

Tony yelped as the dragon opened its mouth, sure this time that the dragon decided he was hungry enough to eat the annoyingly talkative human, but it only bit the front of Tony's shirt with its fangs, lifting him to his feet.

"T-thanks, bud," Tony stuttered, looking down at the spilled items and gathering it up in his hands, the dragon watching him all the while.

He glanced at the dragon who looked back before shrugging and walking towards the cave. He heard the heavy footsteps of the dragon following but he didn't turn and look.

Could his day get any weirder?

He made it to the cave, walking inside and sighed in relief when he saw Loki was where he left him.

The relief vanished however when he saw just how little Loki was breathing. His body was flushed crimson and blisters had started to rise on his arms and legs where it touched the rocky ground.

"No, don't you dare fucking die on me, Prancer," Tony said sternly, though his voice short with the fear of losing Loki.

He picked up the water bottle, unscrewing the top. He sat Loki up against him and tipped the bottle to Loki lips, after pouring steadily into his mouth. Tony heard the telltale sounds of Loki drinking the water down. Tony sighed in relief, hoping this would help Loki last just a little longer. Until they could get out of here.

Tony turned and yelped, forgetting the dragon was there who had stuck its head in the entrance, the cave too small to fit it entirely, and was regarding Tony and Loki with its golden eyes.

Tony huffed. "Jesus, fuck. Don't scare me like that!"

The dragon cocked its head to the side. Confused? Curious maybe? Tony sighed. When had his life gotten so messed up?

"I need to get him somewhere safe," Tony explained, gesturing to Loki. He had no idea if the dragon understood what he was saying but he was kinda desperate here.

The dragon snorted some more hot smoke that made Tony wave a hand in front of Loki's face so he wouldn't inhale any of it, before the dragon slowly started backing up, peering at Tony and tossing its head like, _'Well, come on!'_

Tony quickly gathered Loki up in his arms, cradling him against his chest and made his way out the cave, eyes on the dragon. He was still half convinced that it was going to eat him when he was caught off guard but the fear was lessening more and more as he went along.

"Okay, Smokey. What now?" He asked once they were back outside. It was what Tony guessed was night now that the sun had gone down but still bright enough to see into the distance.

The dragon slowly lowered his (Tony decided it was a he. He had accidentally looked down there on his way out the cave) head to the ground, waiting. Tony realised a moment later the dragon he now dubbed Smokey, wanted him to get on his back.

"Um, are you sure? I mean, what if I fall off or something?" Tony mumbled though he stepped forward, looking over the spiky spine. Oh boy. That would not be good for his privates, he knew that right now.

Smokey gave a low growl in warning that he wasn't going to wait all day for Tony which got the genius moving. If the dragon knew how to help Loki, he wouldn't pass up the offer.

He used the groves in the dragon's armor to lift himself up onto his back, wings folded either side as he settled into a more or less comfortable position. He squeaked as a spike dug into his butt making him shuffle forward.

Huffing, he moved Loki so he was facing him sitting upright and held the god close. The raven head rested on his shoulder. Tony tried to ignore the fever running through the shirt from Loki's burning cheek.

"Alright. Let's do this before I change my mind," Tony stated, gripping a spike tightly in the hand not holding Loki.

Smokey stood up and Tony gripped even harder as the wings spread out and flapped once, twice and then—

"Holy fuck!" Tony screamed, eyes popping as they soared straight up into the red sky. In mere seconds the ground below was a hundred miles below and they were still rising. Wind wiped his fast as it passed by, stealing the breath from his lungs.

He had always flown in the Ironman suit, a thousand miles above the ground, fighting the baddies, but it had _never_ felt like this.

Tony could control the suit. He couldn't control a dragon. But he found he didn't want to as a bubble of excitement swelled inside of him at the feeling of flying. Actually flying! Not some hunk of metal making him move through the air. Now he could _feel_ that air on his face. Could feel the exhilaration of something out of his control making him fly. It was terrifying for sure, but it felt absolutely amazing.

He wished Loki were awake to experience this.

Tony held the arm around Loki a little tighter, wary of the speed and height they were at. If Loki were to slip—

They plummeted so fast that the scream that fell from Tony's lips was lost in the wind whistling in his ears. The ground was coming at them so fast that Tony was afraid they'd end up splattering on impact.

But as they reached the ground Smokey spread his wings out wide, elevating the fall and landed with a light thump on the ground.

Tony pushed himself upright, squeaking again when another spike pressed this time into his soft spot. He threw his leg over the side of Smokey, holding Loki tight as he slid down the smooth scales when Smokey bowed his head down. The shirt he wore only caught once, tearing a strip up the side but considering how torn it was already it barely made a difference.

His feet touched the ground and he held Loki once again bridal style, Loki's dark head resting on his shoulder. The god's breathing sounded horrid, rattling in his throat.

They needed to get off this planet.

Now.

"Alright, what now?" Tony asked, his voice going up an octave in panic.

Smokey regarded him, golden eyes flicking to Loki before it started walking once again. Tony followed at a light jog to keep up with the dragon's large steps.

It was barely a minute but Tony's legs felt like jello by the time the dragon stopped.

Then a scream was heard.

Tony looked around to see the pair of fire giants he'd met before staring wide eyed at Smokey who in turn looked rather self satisfied. There were other giants too that Tony hadn't met and would rather not meet in all honesty. He just wanted to get the hell outta here.

The scream in question had come from the one called Aragant who was cowering behind Jiroch. Jiroch's eyes were wide as they looked at Smokey before his eyes drifted to Tony growing even wider (that's right, bitch. He lived) then to Loki held in Tony's arms.

Around them was a sort of cleaning, cliffs rising around them with multiple caves which Tony assumed was where the Muspeli must live. The caves were rather nice. They had things set up outside to make it look more homey, and curtains over the entrances to give privacy.

Fire was lit everywhere (but the whole world was kinda on fire so this didn't immediately catch Tony's eye) and in the distance, Tony saw a whole wall made up of caves, a whole circuit connecting it all together. It almost looked like a palace. Man, he hoped Smokey didn't expect him to see the King or something. Je was so done with meeting King's that wanted to kill him (*cough* Odin *cough*).

Tony regarded the pair he'd seen before and decided they were his best bet.

"Hi," Tony said eventually with a grin.

"How did you...how are you alive?" Jiroch inquired, eyes slowly lifting from Loki's unconscious form back to Tony's face.

"Erm…" Tony coughed awkwardly, wondering if he should mention that Smokey had given him a wet kiss and decided against it. "I'm just special that way. Look, Loki isn't really great and Smokey here—"

"Who in Helheim is Smokey?" Aragant hissed from behind Jiroch.

Smokey made a hissing noise in response, clearly offended as Tony assumed he liked his new name and breathed a current of fire over the fire giant's heads in warning, making them duck. Could fire giants be hurt by fire? Maybe it was just a reflex.

"This guy," Tony said, jerking a thumb towards the dragon who was giving Aragant death glares. Aragant hunkered down as much as he could with a whimper. That made Tony feel slightly better. "He brought me here after I told him I needed to get off this world, planet, realm, whatever you call it. I need to leave because Loki is dying. So if you can help, then you better hurry it up because I have limited patience right now."

Jiroch regarded Tony with obvious interest. "No one has been able to control the Fire Dragon in years. It obeys no one. Not even the King of Muspelheim had much luck though it had more control over him than anyone else. How are you able to do it?"

Tony glanced at Smokey. "I have no idea. Luck? Did your King try and capture him? Because I don't think Smokey would be kind to a King that does that. And so far, one of the King's I've met, Odin, he's a douche. Laufey's cool though," Tony added as an afterthought before smiling sheepishly. "Er, pun not intended."

The Muspeli looked shocked and Tony shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He was used to being watched but usually it wasn't by towering giants that were part flammable.

"You've met Asgard's King?" Aragant whispered. "You've met the _Jotun's_ King?!" He spat the word Jotun like it was an insult.

So Tony guessed they didn't like Jotun's after all. He held Loki a bit closer to his chest, glaring at Aragant. "Yeah, I did. You got a problem with that Aragog?"

Aragant scowled. "That is not my nam—"

"Enough," Jiroch cut across the other. "If the Fire Dragon brought the two here for assistants then we must provide it. Unless you _want_ to be eaten?"

All the arrogance seemed to go out of Aragant. Like his name but now he was Un-Aragant. Tony smirked at his thoughts before a voice told him to stop being an idiot and focus. The voice happened to sound a lot like Loki's.

"Great! Can we get going? Loki isn't doin' too good," Tony explained, looking over the unconscious god's face that was twisted up in obvious pain. Tony wished he could take that pain away, even if he had to bear it himself.

"I think I know a place you can go to for a while and rest off of Muspelheim. If she's in a good mood she may well even help you," Jiroch said before grimacing. "But if she does not believe whatever story you have for how the Jotun ended up this way she may kill you. Loki and her are close and if harm came to him…"

Tony gulped, not needing Jiroch to finish. He had already met enough powerful people to know that whoever this mystery person was would rip him to shreds for Loki getting hurt whether it was his fault or not.

But it was his fault, wasn't it? If he had been paying attention then he would have seen that leaf coming. If he had feet faster he would've made it back up that dip. If he had made Loki promise to let him go without following him, Loki wouldn't be dying right now.

Tony shoved his thoughts aside. He shouldn't be thinking about that right now. He had a job to do.

"Alright. If this person is friendly with Loki then I'm down. Anyone who doesn't want to kill him is good in my books," Tony stated, giving Jiroch a pointed look that made the Muspeli raise his hands in surrender.

"I was being sincere in wanting to help Loki. We had no intention of harming him nor do we have a quarrel with his people," Jiroch said which made Tony scoff. "I only wished to get him off this realm as some people," Jiroch glanced at Aragant, "do have a problem with them."

Tony sighed, deciding to just believe him and move on. "Yeah, alright. Can we get to the 'getting us outta here' part?"

Jiroch nodded. "Follow after me."

Tony chewed his lip, wondering if it were a trap but when he stepped to follow, Smokey was right behind him. Tony smirked. He hoped that Jiroch wasn't tricking him because Tony had his own tricks in the form of a fiery, ferocious, hugely terrifying dragon.

Tony just hoped Loki would make it out of here alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒No, Tony isn't being eating by a dragon. I know you're all disappointed but I'm afraid Tony lives to see another day...for now 😈✒
> 
> Vote and comment!


	18. The Future Can Be A Scary Thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

Jiroch led Tony through the cave system.  
  
Tony had to admit that he was rather on edge. If the guy was plotting to murder him, all it would take was for him to tell Tony to wait here and ditch him. Like Hansel and Gretal along with the wicked witch. This person they were going to see could be the witch for all Tony knew.  
  
Thankfully, the caves were huge so Smokey could easily fit who was currently stomping along behind Tony, butting his snout into Tony's back every once in a while like a reassurance that the dragon was still there. It helped calm Tony a bit.  
  
If things got ugly, he could always ask Smokey to eat Jiroch as plan B.  
  
Tony smirked at the thought, almost running into Jiroch who had stopped in front of him. Tony quickly stopped walking an inch from the fire giant, backing up a couple steps before looking at why they'd stopped.  
  
They'd reached a chasm.  
  
Tony glanced down, feeling slightly nauseous as the depth of the thing. Below was only darkness. He couldn't see a damn thing. It was like ink, but darker and a hell of a lot scarier.  
  
Tony coughed, stepping back cautiously and holding Loki a bit tighter because he did _not_ want to drop Loki right now. "Sooo...how do we get across?"  
  
Jiroch gave Tony an almost pitying smile. "I'm afraid there's no 'getting across'. You want off this world? It's down there," he pointed into the darkness below.  
  
The genius blinked repeatedly. "Um...you're kidding, right?"  
  
Jiroch frowned. "Why would I kid?"  
  
Because if I jump down there I will, you know, die?!" Tony exclaimed, just slightly hysterically. "Which I'm trying to kinda avoid."  
  
Jiroch shook his head. "You want to get off this realm? This is the way," he gestured to the inky darkness below.  
  
Tony gulped. This was not good. "You want me to kill myself? I mean, that's one way to get outta here but," Tony shifted Loki in his arms. "I have Snowflake here to protect so you better come up with a better idea."  
  
"You will not die," Jiroch said, which made Tony raise an eyebrow like 'uh huh, sure buddy'. "But death is one way to get to her kingdom."  
  
"I'm sorry, what? How the hell would jumping off a cliff _not_ kill me? Explain that part to me," Tony demanded, getting impatient now. Loki's breathing was getting worse. Much longer and Loki would di—  
  
Jiroch grimaced. "It is too difficult to explain the dimensions between worlds and how this particular one intertwines with our realm—"  
  
"Okay, yeah. Never mind. I'm already getting a headache," Tony said, waving off the explanation. He glanced again at the darkness below. "So...I just jumped? I don't have to say any fancy words or something?"  
  
"You do not," Jiroch said with a slight frown. "But whatever you do, you must not be afraid to die."  
  
"Knew there was a catch," Tony muttered under his breath. "You gonna tell me why I can't be scared of a skeleton in a cloak that enjoyed gardening?"  
  
Jiroch's frown deepened, obviously not getting the joke. Of course he didn't. Tony wished Loki was awake. At least he got some of his jokes, even smiled for a few of them. "If you fear death then it's gripped with grab onto you and not let go until you reach the bottom. The fear you face during the fall, your demons, your deepest darkest secrets, could very well kill a lesser man. But if you do survive it, then you will be able to enter the Mistress's realm. If you do not survive it," Jiroch gave Tony a dark look, "then you will enter the realm anyway, but you will not be living."  
  
Tony swallowed hard. "And say I...don't make it. What'll happen to Loki?"  
  
"Currently as he is unconscious, the fall's effects should not affect him," the Muspeli stated. "Besides, I doubt his daughter would let him die. You however, I cannot be so sure."  
  
"Wait a sec. Now the Mistress is Loki's daughter?!" Tony yelped, unable to help the high note in his voice as it went up an octave.  
  
"We do not have time for this discussion. You have to make a decision and fast," Jiroch said, nodding towards Loki who was breathing so shallowly that Tony had to strain his ears to hear it.  
  
And really, what choice did he have here? It was either chicken out and live here while Loki dies or jump off and possibly die himself but Loki lives.  
  
The answer? There was no choice. Loki couldn't die. End of story.  
  
"Alright. Guess I'll be leaping to my death," Tony decided, turning to look at Smokey, not having forgotten about the dragon. "Thanks for the help back there. If I can, I'll come visit. You're amazing, man. Best fire breathing dragon I've ever met. And if that idiot Aragant annoys you? Fry him for me."  
  
Smokey snorted smoke in confirmation before nuzzling the side of Tony's head with his snout like a cat. Tony shifted Loki so he could pat Smokey's snout.  
  
"Yeah, I love you too, buddy. I gotta go though. I'll visit. One way or another," Tony promised, hearing the low whine come from Smokey before the fire dragon moved away, golden eyes looking damn right sad that it almost broke Tony's heart.  
  
But he had a job to do.  
  
The genius turned back to the edge, looking down once more at the inky darkness. Tony closed his eyes, took a deep breath and opened them again with a nod. "Okay. I'm ready."  
  
"Good luck, Ildjotunen" Jiroch said, looking apprehensive. "You'll need it."  
  
Illja—what now?!  
  
Tony sighed. Stupid Norse things and their weird language.  
  
He gripped Loki just an itty bitty more tighter before he steeled himself, stepping one foot over the edge followed quickly by the other and suddenly he was dropped like a pin, the air whipping around him, through his hair and making goosebumps rise up on his skin from the cold that seized him.  
  
The wind screamed in his ears but it wasn't apparently loud enough to cover the sudden whispering that rose up, soft but steadily growing louder.  
  
_'I was so close. If I had just been faster! If I had been faster she wouldn't have been...she wouldn't be gone. It's all my fault—!'_  
  
Tony's breath caught in his throat. That...that was...that was his voice. But he couldn't recall ever saying those words. But it sounded exactly like him. A voice full of forced control, trying not to let his emotion bleed through though he sounded as if he was clearly failing.  
  
_'I can't lose him. I can't lose either of them! I couldn't handle it. Please, you have to help me—'_  
  
Tony didn't understand. He had never heard himself say these things before. But the panic in the other's voice, his voice, made him shiver inside. It sounded so desperate, so broken.  
  
_'I'm sorry. I tried to save him! I tried...I just...I just—'_ There was a sob _. 'I've failed you.'_  
  
Tony grimaced as the whispers grew louder, overlapping each other. He felt his head give way to a splitting headache as the shouted whispers pressed against his ears, demanding each and every one of them of his attention.  
  
_'I'm not sure what to do anymore. What do you expect me to do?!'_  
  
_'He's...he's gorgeous. Just like you...'_  
  
_'I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I just wanted her safe—!'_  
  
_'I can't do this anymore Loki!'_  
  
Tony gripped said man, trying to shield him from the cold. The whispers had grown to shouts though somehow he could still distinguish between something being said out of anger or not and that...that had been. Why would he have been angry at Loki? Maybe during their time in Niflheim but that had sounded…  
  
_'I'm scared, Loki! I'm just...I'm not ready to be a Fath—'_  
  
It cut off before the sentence could be finished but Tony was still left stunned. He knew what that halved word had sounded like. It sounded like...like…  
  
Then it hit Tony all at once. He wasn't hearing the words from _past_ conversations. He was hearing words from his _future_.  
  
And that realization scared the absolute shit out of Tony.  
  
He had thought maybe his fear was not being good enough. Ratatosk had taken that to its advantage for sure. Or maybe that he'd lose Loki which made him want to scream in horror at the thought.  
  
But being afraid of his future?  
  
...well after hearing that he was afraid for damn sure. But he knew why he was afraid. This was a future he might not ever get. If he didn't survive, didn't find a cure to the frostbite, didn't make it back home, he wouldn't have a future. He wouldn't have this. Even if it didn't all sound good, he still wanted it. Still wanted a future. A future with Loki.  
  
And a Father. He would be a Dad. A kid's— _his_ kid's—Dad.  
  
And that did scare him. He was so not ready to have kids but that was a problem for future him. For now, he focused on the fact that no matter how scary his future seemed, it would all work out. So long as he didn't let the future overwhelm him.  
  
So long as he had Loki, he would be okay. And right now, Loki needed him. Needed him to be strong. Because in the future he may or may not have, Loki would be a part of it. Tony wasn't going to lose that part of his future. He wouldn't lose Loki.  
  
Tony pressed his face into Loki's neck, trying to block out the voice. His voice. Coming in all directions. Suffocating him, making it hard to breathe. His heart hammered in his chest as he squeezed his eyes shut tight, wanting to scream as the air whipped around him, making him shake. Or was that just the fear?  
  
And then it stopped. The voices were gone. The air had gone still.  
  
Tony opened his eyes, taking his face away from Loki's throat where he could feel the Mischief gods heart beating its pulse slow, but mostly steady, his own heart still racing a thousand miles an hour.  
  
Under his feet was solid ground and he was shocked he hadn't splattered on impact with it. In fact, there hadn't seemed to be any impact at all. One minute he was falling and the next he was standing on a solid surface. He was perfectly fine.  
  
Besides the whispers in his mind, chasing one another around and around making Tony dizzy and slightly sick to the stomach.  
  
Someone he knew either now or in the future would die. Who it was, he didn't yet know. But he was scared to find out.  
  
Tony slowly took in his surroundings, trying to distract his mind but there wasn't much to see. It was far too dark, just inky darkness in all directions.  
  
The genius looked down at Loki, barely making out the god's face in the gloomy darkness, but managed to press a hand to Loki's forehead, feeling the slight fever of his skin but he wasn't burning up like he had been before which Tony took as a plus.  
  
What he needed right now was some fire to see. The irony of that made him want to kick a wall. As soon as he leaves a world of fire what's something that he needs? Fucking fire. Terrific.  
  
Tony grumbled to himself for a bit before eventually sighing. Well, he had to start walking at some point. He couldn't very well stay here in the dark for something to come along and eat him.  
  
Yeah, he probably shouldn't think like that. After the whole falling experience, one more life threatening or terrifying situation was going to really make him shit himself this time and he had no spare clothes to change into.  
  
Which of course was why at that exact moment a deep, Earth shaking (if he had been on Earth that it) growl came from right behind him making a shiver run up his spine as he twisted on the spot to face the newest beast competing the rest to make Tony shit his pants.  
  
Golden brown eyes went huge in fear when he saw what it was he was facing.  
  
His pants had no chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒RIP Tony's pants 😂 I wonder what he saw 😈✒


	19. The Mistress (Wants To Feed Tony To Her Dog)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: gruesome injuries, past mutilation, strong language⚠️

Despite what he was looking at, he managed to hold it together and not soil himself which would have been rather embarrassing to do before he died.

Not that the alternative which was dying was any better.

The beast towered over him, not as large as Smokey the Fire Dragon but large enough to be able to swallow Tony whole if it so chose to. It had midnight black fur and equally as dark eyes. Huge paws held wicked looking claws that dug into the dirt, a snarl being heard across the short distance Tony was away from it. How the hell had it even snuck up on him? The thing was huge!

"N-nice doggy," Tony stuttered, taking slow steps backwards, his golden brown eyes wide and fearful as they never left the hellhounds figure. "G-good boy."

The hound growled, deep in its throat, taking a threatening step toward.

Tony turned on his head and bolted, holding tight to Loki as he ran even though he knew there was no outrunning this thing. But he ran anyway, no other thought in his mind except getting the fuck away from that beast of a dog.

Unfortunately, he didn't notice the slop until his footing slipped and he tumbled, his arms around Loki releasing the god as he went, rolling downhill until he landed at the bottom with an 'oomph'.

Slowly he sat up, head spinning, the world swirling in dark colors around him and felt like he was on the verge of throwing up. But a howl tore through the silence and he picked himself up, looking around with wild eyes until he spotted Loki, running over and dropping down beside him.

Tony took comfort in the fact that Loki now seemed to be breathing easier here, but still worried for the fact that the god hadn't yet woken up. He could use some of Loki's godly strength and magic right now.

Another howl tore through the silence, closer now and Tony looked up to see the giant hound standing atop the slope, glaring down at Tony, saliva dripping from its mouth, teeth bared. Even from here, Tony could see the blood that stained the beasts teeth.

Tony stood, looking down at Loki. He didn't have the strength himself to run with Loki, but perhaps he could distract the beast from Loki, leading it away. That way Loki would have more time to wake, even if it was a slim chance that he would in time before the hound came back for him.

Better than nothing.

Tony raced to the side, flapping his arms like he was preparing to fly as he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Come and get me you overgrown mutt!"

The hellhound apparently didn't like that, but its eyes were following after Tony, distracted from Loki's prone figure lying on the ground so Tony counted that as a win.

"I bet you can't catch me!" Tony hollered as he backed up quickly before grinning a shit eating grin. "You're so fat that you could never catch me!"

Okay, not his best insult of the day but it seemed to do the trick as the beast howled, making Tony press his hands to his ears before he lost his hearing before the thing _leaped_ into the air, heading straight for Tony.

Tony let out a very manly shout (though let's be honest, it was more a girly shriek) as the hound bawled him over. The genius fell flat on his back, a large paw pressing over his chest and a snarling maw close to his face, likely about to bite his head off.

He groaned at the feeling of his arc reactor pressing against the paw, feeling it push against his ribs and gasped in pain, squeezing his eyes shut.

Well, he had a good run. Got pretty lucky on some of those life threatening experiences but apparently his luck had finally run out. This was it. No one was coming to save him this time. He was completely alone, his head about to be chomped off and devoured for a hellhounds balanced breakfast—

"Garm! Get off him, now!"

Tony opened his eyes, trying to look around the fur in his face because he was sure he had just heard someone, a female voice. Or, you know, he could just be losing it in his final moments. Who knew?

The hound above him let out a pitiful whine, clearly not happy.

"Now, Garm. I need that one alive. Now off," the woman's voice spoke again and now Tony was sure he wasn't imagining it. "Yes, I know you want to eat him but he's needed alive. When he's dead you can have him as a chew toy but for now, _off_!"

The hound huffed hot air on Tony's face, very obviously annoyed at being denied its snack but moved off of Tony who now gasped for breath, not realizing how much weight the large paw had placed on his chest, constricting his airways.

He quickly looked down, checking the shine of his arc through the thin shirt he wore but it seemed in working order. He'd properly check it later. He had bigger problems than dying from heart failure at the moment.

Tony sat up once again, hands shaky as he looked around, spotting his unlikely saviour. A woman taller than him was looking at the hellhound — Garm, she had called it — with a stern look, the hound looking like a kicked puppy that very nearly made Tony feel bad for it.

Tony coughed, feeling awkward. "I, uh, thanks for not letting it—"

"Him," the woman stated, not looking towards Tony. "Not 'it'. His name is Garm."

"Garm," Tony mumbled. "Righty then. Well, uh, thanks. I need to get back to my friend and—holy mother!"

The woman had finally turned to face him, one eyebrow raised at his reaction but Tony couldn't help it as he stared wide eyed at her.

From what he had seen on one side he could have pretended she was a woman. A beautiful woman. Breathtaking perhaps. She could have any man she wanted if she so willed it. Even Tony had to admit she was the most dazzling lady he had ever set his eyes on. Sparkling green eyes so much like Loki's that it shocked Tony to his core. Long black hair slipping down her shoulder to her waist, skin that looked paper thin and starch white but seemed to make her even more alluring.

But then there was the _other_ side.

It was...gruesome. Burnt flesh, melted and scorched blue and black. No part of the skin looked unscathed. The right side of her face looked as if some savage beast had ripped away at the skin, her cheek gone. Blackened teeth were bared, her right ear completely missing, leaving a gaping hole in its place. Her hair on the right side of her scalp was tufts of burnt hair. Her hand that peaked out from the long sleeved dress she wore resembled a skeletons, bones burned black, pieces of blue, black skin clinging to the bones. Her right eye socket was empty and cold.

Tony couldn't help the small whimper that came from his lips, almost wishing the hound had eaten him. He did _not_ want to be killed by her. She looked like the thing from horror movies that put people through copious amounts of torture, leaving the victim half insane and mutilated.

He had trouble believing that she was alive. No one could be that...that mutilated and still live. But then, this was just another part of Norse mythology and magic, wasn't it? They went by their own rules.

"Tony Stark," the woman spoke and Tony tried his best not to scream and run in the opposite direction since this chick _knew his name_. "It's about time we met."

Tony swallowed back his fear. "Yeah, sure. Um...nice to meet you?" He licked his suddenly dry lips, his throat equally as dry and wondered when the last time he'd had a drink of water was. "Are you the, uh, Mistress?"

The woman gave a curt nod. "Indeed I am. No need to ask who you are. I know everyone who leads the path to my kingdom," she said with a slightly disgusted look as she studied Tony, looking him up and down. "I should have fed you to Garm after all you've done to him."

Tony decided he wasn't going to ask. He didn't want to know. He just wanted to get the fuck out of here, away from this lady and her pet hellhound.

Mostly he just wanted to get back to Loki and make sure he was okay. He wanted to go home but everytime things seemed to be going in the right direction, like they were actually getting somewhere, something else happened, throwing them completely off course and plunging into a dark pit.

And this place seemed to be the darkest pit yet.

"A fire giant said that maybe you could help my friend," Tony said half heartedly, wondering now if Jiroch had been lying and that this was all a trap.

The woman looked amused, cocking her head to the side, blood red lips forming a half smirk as the other side of her lips were, in fact, missing. Tony squirmed uncomfortably, looking away.

"You find how I look disturbing?" She asked, completely ignoring what he'd said.

Tony grimaced. Okay, so she had noticed his (rather validated) shock at how she looked. "Not exactly. I mean, yeah it's a shock. But I've seen some pretty, uh, bad...injuries in my lifetime."

The Mistress smiled coolly. "This is how I was born, Tony Stark. It is no injury but a curse I am forced to bear though I do not blame my parents for it. They have loved me regardless. Could the same be said for you?"

Tony blinked. "Um, what?"

"You're leading to the same path, aren't you not?" The woman stated, eyes holding malice as she stared at Tony. "This type of injury as you claim it to be. Unfortunately, you will die. Very soon and I shall claim your soul when you do."

Tony took a minute to get it but when he did he choked on air, his left hand whipping up to grab his right arm as what he was looking at finally processed.

Frostbite.

"Oh _fuck_ ," Tony breathed, very very close to throwing up what little food he had. "Oh my gods! _That's_ frostbite?!"

She smiled gruesomely which wasn't hard to do with the rest of her going into account. "It is. My parents were frost giants, but my Father unfortunately posed in his Aesir form when he created me with my Mother. Because of that, it affected my birth and the frost burnt me while I was being formed in my Mother's womb."

Tony let out a shaky breath. "That's...that's horrible. That shouldn't have happened to you."

The woman looked slightly surprised but her gaze was still cold. "Some things cannot be fixed. Some things," she looked down at her burnt, frostbitten skin, "cannot be healed."

Tony forced himself to let go of his arms as the touch became too hurt, looking in the direction he had run, managing to make out Loki's form. He decided to keep the woman talking, hoping to distract her until he could think of a way to help Loki. "Not everything is unfixable."

"Like your own curse?" She questioned, nodding towards his clothed arm. "You do not have long, Tony Stark. Not long at all. Your soul is already visible to me. It won't be long before the frost consumes you and you become a subject of my kingdom."

Her words took a long while to sink in. Not that he was dying. He knew that. If he didn't find the cure to his frostbite he would...end up looking like her which was a thought more terrifying than death though he knew death was a package deal.

No. It was what she was saying. His soul becoming a subject of her kingdom after he died. The myths of Loki's daughter and Jiroch stating the Mistress wouldn't allow Loki to die. Which meant…

"You're her," Tony mumbled, eyes widening. "You're Loki's daughter. You're—"

The Mistress smile seemed to grow colder still, green eyes darkening. "That is correct. I am Hela. Goddess of the dishonorable dead and Helheim. And you, Tony Stark, are knocking at my front door."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Yeah, I went with the Norse mythology Hela, not the Marvel Hela because Marvel is stupid and made Hela Loki's sister and not even related sister which is even more stupid. Hela is LOKI'S DAUGHTER FOR FRIGS SAKE! Okay, I'm done✒


	20. What Did I Miss?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

Oh goody! So _this_ was Loki's daughter. Step one completed on becoming Loki's new boyfriend!  
  
If he lived long enough for that. The look Hela had given him made him doubt his chances of survival.  
  
Currently he was following Hela, Loki safely back in his arms. Hela had commanded him to follow him (which was very much the opposite of what he wanted to do) and he had gone back to Loki, ignoring Hela who had said Garm could carry her Father but Tony wouldn't have it. Loki's daughter or not, he wasn't allowing her pet to carry Loki around.  
  
Hela had been surprised with Tony's stubborn protectiveness but allowed it, waving for Tony to follow, Garm bounding ahead of them both, barking loudly.  
  
Tony only struggled slightly to keep up with the woman's long strides, cursing his short legs as he jogged along, watching that skeletal leg appear between the slit in the dress Hela wore. Like the rest of her, it was blackened, burnt flesh clinging to the bone. But the more he looked at the horror side of her, the more he got used to it.  
  
Around him, whispering grew. At first he thought it was the after effects of the fall but he started seeing shadows out the corner of his eyes which, when he looked and saw nothing there, would have his heart hammering in his chest, sounding so loud that he expected Loki to wake from the noise.  
  
But he didn't.  
  
"I keep seeing shit. Is that normal?" Tony asked after seeing the shadow figures appear more and more often.  
  
"Those are the souls of the damned," Hela explained, almost dismissively. "It means you are getting closer to death."  
  
Tony gulped, looking around and spotted another shadow flutter across his vision followed by a giggling that made him shiver, hurrying to catch up with Hela. He's watched enough ghost movies to know that if he got left behind then these 'souls of the damned' would possess his sorry ass.  
  
He adjusted his grip on Loki, holding him so the god was facing him, his raven head resting on the geniuses shoulder and legs subconsciously going around Tony's waist. Tony felt as Loki's arms twisted tightly around his shoulders, his face burying itself into the side of Tony's neck.  
  
Tony wasn't complaining per se but his arms were starting to protest at carrying Loki around everywhere. But still he wasn't willing to let someone else take Loki for him.  
  
The castle appeared as if out of thin air, one minute darkness and the next a towering castle looming over them casting a deep shadow. The castle looked to be pure white or as close to that ad possible. On closer inspection, Tony found they were in fact boned, fused together. He shuddered, not wanting to know how many people had died to make this place.  
  
Garm was lost in the gloom and Tony was kinda glad for it. He didn't need to be eating by a hellhound today. Or any day, for that matter.  
  
They walked silently through the halls, Tony gawking at everything they passed. Now that he got past the fact that everything seemed to have a dark edge to it, he felt this place was almost familiar...like...like…  
  
"Wait a sec," Tony mumbled, eyebrows knitting together. "This place looks kinda like...Asgard."  
  
Hela glanced back at him, but still walked. "Helheim is a direct reflection of Asgard, but the opposite. The gold Asgard has is bone here. The fire that lights Asgards halls are shadows here that cast only darkness. The light Asgard has is only ever darkness here."  
  
Tony grimaced, almost sorry he asked. "Sounds like you miss Asgard, huh?"  
  
A hatred flashed in Hela's green eye. "I despise the place and everything it stands for!"  
  
Tony whistled lowly. "Never mind then. I don't like the place much either. Odin is kind of a douche."  
  
Hela quirked a half smile. "I may have hope for you yet. There is one similarity between Helheim and Asgard though."  
  
"Which is?" Tony promoted, happy that they were managing some civil conversation.  
  
Hela pushed open two double doors that led into a throne room and she turned, waving a hand at Tony to enter which he did with much reluctance. As soon as they were both inside, the doors shut again, seemingly of their own accord.  
  
Hela sat down on the throne that was made of, you guessed it, more bone. But this one was made from full skeletons that resembled people kneeling down and twisted into painful looking positions to support the queen of Helheim. Tony had a nagging suspicion that those people had died like that, their flesh burned away until they resembled the skeletons they were now.  
  
"The thing that both Asgard and Helheim have in common?" Hela said, snapping Tony out of his dark thoughts as he focused both on that green eye and empty, cold socket. "It's that both Asgard and Helheim were built upon death."  
  
And the worst thing? That didn't even surprise Tony. He could easily picture Odin raiding realms for their gold and killing anyone who stood in his way, including innocent lives. Hatred burned deep inside of Tony, so strong that he had to take a deep breath to calm down. He'd sort out all that later. He had bigger problems.  
  
"Hela—"  
  
"Queen," Hela interrupted. "While you are in my Kingdom you will refer to me as higher. We are not on a first name basis, nor I think, will we ever be."  
  
"Right, sorry," Tony cleared his throat. "Er, Queen Hela? Look, you're Loki's daughter. Surely you'll help your dad, right?"  
  
Hela raised her single eyebrow. "And why should I? It is your fault he is like this."  
  
"My—?" Tony frowned. "Hold up a minute here. You think _I_ did this to him?"  
  
"But of course," Hela said, leaning back in her skeleton throne. "If not for you my Father would be perfectly fine."  
  
Tony stared at her. "How the fuck did you work that one out? If it wasn't for me, your dad would be _dead_. I saved him from dying a thousand times over, thank you very much. I risked everything for him!"  
  
"Did you just?" Hela asked, her tone cold. "You shouldn't have meddled where it was not needed, mortal. If you had stayed away from my Father then he would have made it out of Niflheim on his own. He does not need your help to survive."  
  
Tony shook his head, unbelieving. "You're joking. He's literally unconscious right now. How the hell—"  
  
"Do not use my name in vain," Hela cut across him with a hiss that made a shiver run down Tony's spine.  
  
"Wha—no! I wasn't—!"  
  
"I do not wish to hear anymore of you lies," Hela said with anger flicking in her eyes. "If it weren't for you my Father would not have gotten so protective of you. A mortal. Such fragile things that so easily break."  
  
Tony didn't know what to say to that. _'Gee, thanks?'_  
  
Yeah, no.  
  
"Unfortunately for me and very fortunately for you, if I kill you where you stand my Father will be destroyed. He does not wish you dead," Hela said, looking at Tony with disgust. "If I could, I would have you in my dungeons to be tortured for eternity. I know just how fond you are of water."  
  
Tony breath caught in his throat, eyes going wide. Did she fucking just—?!  
  
"Hey, lady. I don't know who the fuck pissed you right off but don't go making threats to me, alright? I'm trying my damn well fucking best to protect your dad but he's a stubborn little shit who doesn't want to help himself," Tony growled, suddenly furious at this chick. It was one thing to yell at him for things that didn't even happen. It's another thing entirely to threaten him with water related torture. "I don't give a shit who you are, how powerful you are or who's daughter you are. Threaten me again and kick your ass back to the ancient times, got it?"  
  
Hela looked slightly stunned for a moment which made Tony feel a little smug, but then that anger was back in full blast, a fire appearing in Hela's skeletal hand, burning black. "You dare, mortal?"  
  
Tony stood straight. "Damn fucking right, I dare. I was told you could help us, help Loki, get back to Midgard. But I guess you'd rather just have a hissy fit? Or can you just not do it?"  
  
"My powers are—"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Tony said, waving the power speech away. "You could melt me into a puddle of goop. Whatever. So if you powers are so strong, mind getting us the fuck outta here and back home?"  
  
Hela glared, the fire in her hand continuing to burn black and menacing. "Helheim is the lowest world on Yggdrasil. It costs far too much power to transport a mortal and a god to Midgard."  
  
"Well, what's the next best thing then? The higher up we are the better because that tree is huge and I'll likely fall off if I try climbing it," Tony mumbled reluctantly.  
  
"And what a pity that would be," Hela said though the anger had died down just slightly.  
  
"Very funny," Tony grumbled. His arms were really starting to ache now. As light as Loki was, he couldn't carry the god around forever. "Also, any way you can help Loki? He kinda...passed out."  
  
"No thanks to you," Hela stated firmly. "However, he should wake up on his own, now that he is out of Muspelheim."  
  
"Oh, thank fuck," Tony breathed, glad that _something_ good was being achieved here.  
  
Hela rolled her single eye, so much like Loki did that it gave Tony deja vu just watching her. "Now about getting you to Midgard. There is a way to accomplish this."  
  
Tony waited.  
  
Hela huffed. "I can transport you as far as Nidavellir though that is not quite as far as you'd like. But once there you will travel to a waterfall. Down that waterfall is a river," Hela explained. "You must jump into it."  
  
Tony felt like banging his head against a wall. He was so sick and tired of jumping off things that normally would kill him. "Are you sure you're not trying to give me a water related death here?"  
  
Hela smirked. "If I wished to, I could do so here. But my Father wants you alive and to see you die would make him unhappy. He has done much for me. I can spare him an annoying narcissist mortal plaything."  
  
Tony grumbled uncomplimentary things under his breath. "Fine. So I jump off a waterfall that supposedly won't kill me—"  
  
"Oh no, it can still very much kill you," Hela stated, which had Tony staring at her as if she'd grown a second head. "It all depends if the Norns wish to keep you alive."  
  
"That's...great. Really just—" Tony sighed. His day just seemed to keep getting worse and worse, didn't it? "Okay, so we jump off a waterfall that may or may not kill me and then...what?"  
  
"The river leads to all the Nine Realms. The Norns control the river and you'll wash up on whatever planet they decide," Hela said, ignoring Tony's pointed looks. "You could end up anywhere in the Nine Realms and, if you're lucky, Midgard. If not, you'll likely end up back in Niflheim. However, usually people wash up in Vanaheim. I'll send a word to a friend to help you if you do."  
  
"So, fifty fifty chances here. Sounds like a solid plan," Tony said, rolling his eyes. "Are there any other options?"  
  
"You could spend the rest of eternity here being tortured for the rest of when the frostbite will end you," Hela said with a look of indifference. "My Father would live and could stay here where he is safe unlike that Midgard of yours where his enemies lie."  
  
"Yeah, um, I think I'm gonna go with plan A," Tony decided, ignoring Hela's amused look.  
  
"As you wish," Hela said, rising from her bone throne and stepping towards Tony. "But be warned. If anything happens to my Father, I will ensure you shall perish also."  
  
Tony thought that was rather appropriate as, if Loki died, Tony didn't think he'd want to go on without the crazy Norse god. "I think I can handle that."  
  
Hela glared still but waved her frostbitten hand and a swirling vortex appeared beside them. Tony couldn't see through it, only a darkness within. For all Tony knew, he could be walking into a pit of lava. But he doubted that as Hela wouldn't want Loki to be hurt.  
  
Another wave of Hela's hand and a pack appeared beside Tony which he cautiously picked up. "It's enchanted so water cannot get in. There's spare clothes, food, water. Anything you should need. Even weapons."  
  
"Thanks," Tony said sincerely. This was honestly one of the best gifts he'd been given on this whole trip.  
  
"I can't say it was a pleasure meeting you," Hela said with a shrug. "But perhaps you'll be good for my Father. Whether that's true or not remains to be seen."  
  
Tony looked at her now and realized that this woman was only looking out for her dad. She wasn't being a total jerk on purpose. She just didn't want Loki hurt, anymore than Tony did. Tony could understand that, how he had never wanted his Mum to get hurt.  
  
"I'm sorry if I made you think I hurt Loki in any way," Tony said before he could stop himself. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't mean for any of this. If I knew a way to do this without Loki getting hurt, even if I was hurt in the process then I would take it. But...there isn't. But I'll do the best I can to protect him."  
  
Hela studied Tony for a moment, gaze calculating and careful before she gave Tony a genuine looking smile. "There may be hope for you yet, Tony Stark."  
  
Tony grinned before reaching out his hand that he tried to ignore the light blueness that peeked out from his sleeve by his wrist and took Hela's skeletal hand, bringing it up and kissing the back on the bone structure lightly. "Queen Hela."  
  
Hela looked positively shocked when Tony drew back, letting her hand go but something that looked almost like respect shone in her green eye as she nodded. "Tony Stark."  
  
Tony smiled one last time before stepping through the swirling portal, his feet falling into thin air as he fell forward, tearing a shout of shock from his lips. He held Loki close to him as he tumbled through the dimensions before he was spit back out, landing hard on his back, Loki falling from his arms and rolling a distance away that had Tony swearing.  
  
Quickly, Tony sat up, head spinning when he did. He fucking hated portals.  
  
A groan was heard that made Tony's head snap up to see Loki slowly sitting up himself, green eyed looking around in a daze before he spotted Tony and a relief passed through his eyes. "Anthony."  
  
Tony let out a slow breath. "Loki."  
  
Loki then looked around, a small frown appearing on his lips as he took in his surroundings before looking back at Tony once more. "What did I miss?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Do I have the next eight chapters already written up and ready to go? Yes, yes I do. Will I publish them or let you suffer? Probably suffer >:3 Forewarning, next chapter we find out some bad things that happened to Loki during his time in his cell on Asgard✒


	21. Dark Promises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: implied rape, mentions of torture, strong language⚠️

"Let me get this straight."  
  
Tony sat uncomfortably in front of Loki, hands wringing in his lap as he kept his eyes waiting for Loki's reaction. When Loki had woken, Tony had practically launched himself at the god, tackling him into a hug which had both made the god yelp and fall back with Tony on top him him, the genius holding him tight and sobbing into his shirt while Loki gently rubbed his back, not knowing what else to do.  
  
Once Tony had calmed enough, they had found a secluded section of a tunnel-like place of the street to sit and talk. The place they were at was like a large cavern, the ceiling of it lost in the gloom above. Around them where tall structures that Loki guessed were dwarven buildings. Loki knew just how prideful dwarves were of their crafting skills.  
  
Tony had been reluctant to tell Loki what had happened but did so with an air that spoke _'I'm only telling you because I know you'll blast me in the ass if I don't'._  
  
Apparently they were currently in Nidavellir, home or the dwarves which wasn't exactly a good thing. The whole world was basically a giant underground cave. Loki knew Tony was uncomfortable about that from his time in Afghanistan but the mortal was trying not to show it.  
  
Loki had glared at Tony who explained everything, silently fuming while on the outside the god's face unreadable. He wanted to hit the mortal after everything he'd heard, all the danger that he'd gone through and also hug him and never let him go, afraid of him getting even more hurt.  
  
Loki huffed as he began to recite over what Tony had told him. "You and I both fell into Muspelheim which I do remember, but when you woke, you hid me in a cave before leaving to find our supplies and when you heard people talking, you went looking for them knowing it was most likely Mupeli. Then you faced down a Fire Dragon, befriended said Fire Dragon and had it take us both to the Muspeli village," Loki said, feeling more and more agitated.  
  
Tony coughed. "His name is Smokey," he said before spotting Loki's glare and fell silent again.  
  
"Then you entrusted one of the Muspeli who took you to a chasm which you _jumped off_ _of_ ," Loki hissed those words out, seeing how Tony flinched. "And if that's not idiodic enough, you got chased by a hellhound that quite nearly ate you, met my daughter, almost pissed her off enough to melt you into a puddle of darkness until she finally helped us and walked through a portal that led us into Nidavellir?"  
  
"Yup," Tony said, popping the 'p'. "That's about it."  
  
There was a moment of tense silence.  
  
Then Loki leaned forward, grabbing the collar of Tony shirt in a vice like grip and dragged him forward until their faces were inches apart, Tony's golden brown eyes wide as he stared at Loki fearfully as if expecting Loki to slap him (which Loki was very tempted to do).  
  
"You are the most stupid, idiodic, self sacrificing asshole I've ever met," Loki hissed out, his heart constricting in his chest. "You could have _died_! You could have died so many times over—"  
  
"But I didn't," Tony said quietly. "I didn't. I'm fine. And you are too. We're both alive. Isn't that what's important here?"  
  
Loki tightened his grip on Tony's shirt. "That isn't the point. You shouldn't be so reckless."  
  
"I'm reckless?" Tony asked with a humorless laugh. "How the fuck did you work that one out? You let go of Yggdrasil just to go after me! No plan. No thought of how you'd save us if you did. Who the hell does that? Why would you do that?!"  
  
_'Because I love you, you idiot!'_ Loki thought furiously, wishing he could say it aloud.  
  
He didn't.  
  
"If you didn't try to sacrifice yourself like a moron, we wouldn't be here," Loki growled, not letting it go.  
  
"See, that's where you're wrong. If I hadn't, we both still would have fallen. Now, if _you_ hadn't let go just to go after me, you'd probably be home by now. But no. You just had to fall after me," Tony grumbled. "I know you're falling for me but that's not the way it works."  
  
Loki breath caught in his throat before reminding himself that Tony did not know of his feelings, that it was a mere jest. Tony didn't love him. By Asgard, Stark barely _liked_ him.  
  
Loki huffed, shoving Tony away and watched in slight amusement as Tony almost fell over himself at the sudden release. "I don't have a home, Stark. Midgard is _your_ home. Not mine."  
  
Tony gave Loki a sad look which he didn't understand. "It could be your home. If you wanted it to be."  
  
"Stark, I—"  
  
"Tony, remember?" Tony stated firmly.  
  
"Anthony, remember?" Loki said back, a smile tugging at his lips.  
  
"Why do you keep pushing me away?" Tony asked quickly before Loki could change the subject. "Why won't you tell me what's going on? Why won't you let me help you? Why is it so hard to understand that I won't hurt you? Just...just _why_ , Loki?"  
  
Loki was silent, unsure exactly how to answer that. He drew his leg close to his chest and let out a long breath. "It isn't about you hurting me. I'm far too used to that to let it bother me."  
  
"Then why?" Tony asked, his gaze trained on Loki's eyes that the god kept down to the floor.  
  
Loki swallowed hard. He may as well say it now. If Tony happened to have any feelings for him at all, then he had to know exactly what it was he was dealing with here.  
  
"Because I'm afraid of hurting _you_ ," Loki said quietly, voice barely audible. "Because I'm afraid that who I am will end up getting you killed...or worse."  
  
"Loki," Tony breathed, golden brown eyes pained. "Loki, you're not going to hurt me, I promise you. I'm okay. I'm _safe_ with you."  
  
"You're not," Loki protested instantly. "You do not understand."  
  
"Then make me understand," Tony pleaded, scooting forward and taking Loki's hand. The god tried to tug it away, that if he explained then Tony was likely to be so disgusted he'd push Loki away but the mortal stubbornly held on, squeezing gently. "Help me understand, Loki. Please."  
  
Loki looked at those golden brown eyes, hating himself for getting someone like Tony involved with his chaotic life. "I'm not what you think I am."  
  
"So?" Tony asked incredulously. "I'm not who you think I am either. You know I've killed people before. The whole 'Merchant of Death' business? I'm not exactly pure and yet you still put up with me. Is that it? Because you've killed people?"  
  
Loki shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "No, Anthony. I...I've killed before, yes. But that is not why."  
  
"Then tell me why," Tony stated, his tone begging almost. "Please, Loki. Tell me."  
  
Loki flinched at the last two words, remembering screaming them at his fake Father, when he had discovered his whole life was a lie and then...then finding out the rest of the truth that had been kept from him.  
  
"You said I wasn't a villain because I was controlled," Loki started, voice strained. He didn't open his eyes, not wanting to see Tony's face when he revealed the truth. "But you are wrong. I am a villain, Anthony. I always will be. There is no escaping it. It is who I am, written down in stone."  
  
"What do you mean?" Tony asked and Loki felt the mortal's thumb rubbing the back of his hand in comfort. It calmed him slightly but also made his heart thud loudly, knowing that once he spilled his secret to Tony, the genius would touch him no longer.  
  
"While I was briefly King of Asgard, while Odin was in the Odinsleep, I was searching through his things," Loki sighed softly. "I found some scrolls in a locked drawer that was easily opened by my magic. I took them out, spreading them before me and began to read."  
  
Tony made a noise that suggested for Loki to continue.  
  
A lump had formed in Loki's throat, making it hard to speak. "I-I found that it was...it was the scrolls the Norns had given to Odin's Father which was then passed down to Odin when he became King."  
  
"The Norns...those are the people who control other people's fates, right?" Tony asked hesitantly.  
  
"And their destinies. They control everyone and everything," Loki said in a hollow voice.  
  
There was a slight pause as Tony thought that over, likely guessing what that meant until the inevitable question finally came. "And what was your destiny?"  
  
Loki tightened his grip on the hand holding his. "That I would be one of the causes of Ragnarok when all worlds finally end and Yggdrasil falls. That I would be the villain that caused chaos throughout the realms. That I would murder thousands in my lifetime. That I would...that I would never get a happy ending. Throughout everything I read, nothing shone me in a good light. I was a villain to everyone...I am a villain. I'm the villain to my own story. It is why I do not care about what I've done in the past. What's the point of feeling any guilt, feeling remorse knowing that I will do it again because I cannot escape what I am, what I know I'll become?"  
  
There was a silence where Loki waited for Tony to shove Loki away, to rip his hand from his, to scream at Loki, to call him a murderer. As the many thoughts of Tony finally realizing what the villain Loki was, he couldn't help the tear that escaped behind closed eyes, rolling down his cheek. He didn't wish for Tony to hate him. He was all he had left and now he was going to lose him also because he was a monster.  
  
Then fingers touched his cheek making Loki flinched back, expecting to be hit but Tony only shushed him, brushing away the fallen tear. "You're not a villain, Loki. Just because a bunch of dusty millennium old scrolls say so doesn't make you the bad guy."  
  
"But it will happen. The Norns have already decided my fate. No matter what I do, there is no changing what will happen," Loki whispered, another tear escaping but was wiped away just as quickly at the first.  
  
"Well, I think it's bullshit. And even if it is true, it doesn't change how I feel about you," Tony said and finally Loki opened his eyes to find Tony face inches from his own. The gold in those brown eyes seemed to swirl, making Loki dizzy. "You haven't done any of those things. Even if you did, or are going to, it still doesn't change anything. You'll still be the same old crazy horny helmet wearing Norse god of Mischief to me."  
  
"Are you being sincere?" Loki asked quietly, voice so low he doubted Tony could hear him all that well. "If I strike down someone this instant, you wouldn't mind it?"  
  
"I'm sure if you did then the guy probably deserved it," Tony stated easily. "You rarely do things for no reason. If you decided to kill someone then it's probably because they're being an ass. Like that Alf? Yeah, he was a jerk."  
  
Loki managed a begrudging smile. "I see...you are a very strange mortal."  
  
"And you're a strange god so we're even," Tony said, shrugging his shoulders. "So this is what you meant, huh?"  
  
Loki frowned at him. "Meant by what?"  
  
"When we talked about that overgrown squirrel?" Tony reminded him. "How self destructive the thing was. I asked why it was trying to destroy the tree it lives in and you said that some things won't change their mind on how they live or whatever because of what they've been told to do with their lives. This is what you meant by that, isn't it?"  
  
Loki remembered the conversation. It felt like so long ago when they'd been sitting in that forest in Alfheim, discussing why Ratatosk did the things it did.  
  
_'I do not know, Anthony. Ratatosk is just like that. It does not care. It's self destructive and there is no reasoning with it. Some things, some people...there's just no changing their minds about what they wish to do with their lives because of who they are told to be.'_  
  
Loki remembered Tony asking what he'd meant by that and Loki had brushed it aside, not wanting to tell Tony of what he truly was. But now he learns that Tony doesn't care, that he still wished to be in his company. It confused him to no end but he was grateful nonetheless.  
  
"It is. I didn't wish to tell you then. I had been afraid you'd leave me if I had," Loki admitted eventually, looking away shamefully. "I'm sorry for not telling you the truth earlier."  
  
"Hey, no," Tony said, shaking his head. "It wasn't for me to know. It's your choice to tell me what you want. If you never have told me then I would have been okay with it. Well, I wouldn't know, but that's not the point.. Honestly, Loki. You don't owe me an explanation."  
  
"I do," Loki argued though he knew it was no use. Tony had already decided and Loki knew just how stubborn the mortal could be. "You saved my life while I was uselessly unconscious the entire time and managed to bring us both here safely. Telling you the truth is the least I could do."  
  
Tony didn't argue back, only nodded. "Alright. Whatever you say, Reindeer Games."  
  
Loki smiled at the nickname. Still, he had no clue as to the meaning behind it but he found that he no longer minded.  
  
"Can I ask one thing?" Tony said after a moment of calm silence.  
  
"Technically you just did but go on," Loki said with a teasing smile as Tony rolled his eyes.  
  
"Sarcastic ass," Tony muttered before sighing, his expression becoming more serious. "I was going to ask...and you don't have to tell me but...what happened in Asgard?"  
  
Loki flinched, knowing what it was Tony was asking. But how could he explain it? And why did he want to? He barely knew this man and yet...  
  
"I—" Loki broke off, licking his dry lips. "I was tortured."  
  
Tony nodded slowly. "Yeah, I kinda figured that part out myself." Loki glared lightly making Tony mumble an apology that wasn't really needed. "Sorry. Keep going."  
  
Loki huffed, balling his hands into fists but his anger wasn't directed at Tony. "I was...I was whipped, starved, beaten bloody, burned and b-broken. I was cleaned up before the trial so as not to raise alarm to your Avenging companions, nor to my Brother as it surely would have wanted to know what had happened to me."  
  
Tony chewed his lip. "Is that all that happened?"  
  
Loki swallowed hard, shaking his head. "Not all, no. They...that is to say, the guards would…" Loki wasn't sure he could say it. There was a huge amount of trust going into what he would say next. Did he really trust a mortal he'd known for barely a few months with one of his darkest secrets? What if Tony told someone? What if he told Thor?  
  
Tony seemed to know where his mind was at. "I won't tell a soul. I won't tell anyone what you tell me. It'll be between me and you, I swear. If I tell anyone I give you full permission to blast me to bits."  
  
Loki managed a small smile that quickly faded as he let out a shaky breath. "They would...they deprived me of food. They wouldn't let me eat. I was considered unworthy of any sort of nutrition. They said that I had to earn my food, that I needed to work for it as I didn't deserve anything because of the monster I was. Each time I refused and would suffer agonizing stomach pains. I lasted almost two and a half months before...before I finally gave in."  
  
Loki looked down shamefully unable to look at Tony and hating himself for the tears that sprang to his eyes. He blinked repeatedly, trying to keep them back and at bay but it was a losing battle.  
  
"They used me for their s-sick pleasure until they were satisfied. They relented afterwards and allowed me some scraps of food. It wasn't nearly enough to fuel my hunger but I took it even though it only ended up leaving me hungrier than before," Loki explained in a shaky voice, his breath going shallow as he thought of what sick things those guards had done to him. "It b-broke me like nothing had ever done before. And s-still, each time I let them use me in exchange for just enough food to survive. I had never felt dirtier than I had in those moments, never felt so broken and u-used. I tried not to show it to them but—"  
  
Loki choked off, shaking his head frantically. He couldn't explain. He couldn't speak his mind without breaking to pieces.  
  
Then Tony was in front of him, hands on either side of his face, tilting his head up until their eyes met, golden brown to shining green.  
  
"You are one of the strongest, bravest, most resilient person that I know," Tony said fiercely and Loki saw the anger burning deep in those hypnotic eyes. He knew that anger wasn't towards him, but towards the people that had hurt him.  
  
However, Loki was shocked by the sheer _amount_ of hate he saw in Tony's eyes and feared for the guards if Tony ever got his hands on them. Loki had never had someone that had been so fiercely and stubbornly protective of him. Even Thor couldn't match the dark look in Tony's expression.  
  
"If I ever find those guards they'll be sorry for what they did to you," Tony said quietly, tone dark, far too dark as if Tony was imagining the worst possible tortures on those guards. "I'll have them screaming for mercy."  
  
"Anthony," Loki breathed, taking Tony's hands that he felt them shaking in rage. "Revenge is not the answer here."  
  
"Neither is it letting them get away with what they did to you," Tony stated firmly, eyes practically burning like flames. "I won't let them get away with this."  
  
The words were spoken like a dark promise.  
  
Loki couldn't argue, only stared at the shadowy look in Tony's expression, the withheld anger and hate. Loki had never seen this side of the genius before. He wondered if anyone ever had. He wasn't sure if he should be in awe of it or very afraid of it. Perhaps both.  
  
Finally Tony turned his face away, the shaking in the man's hands subsiding as he huffed out a breath. "How about some sleep, huh? I mean, I know you've been asleep for the past...however long it was. But you still look like shit so you should get some rest."  
  
"You need rest too," Loki said quietly, unsure exactly of what just transpired but brushed it aside for the now, taking Tony around the waist and pulling him close before the genius could manage a single protest. "We'll go to the waterfall in the morning."  
  
"How will we tell if it's morning?" Tony questioned, looking up at the dark cavern's roof high above.  
  
"Shut up and go to sleep, Anthony," Loki sighed. He could practically feel Tony's cocky grin as the man cuddled closer into his side. It was like nothing had even happened.  
  
Loki listened to the steady thumping of Tony's heartbeat, taking comfort in the fact that it still beat, that Tony was still very much alive beside him.  
  
In minutes they were both asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Poor Loki 😭 Also, Protective Tony Kill Mode: Activated 😠✒


	22. My Skin Ain't Up For Sale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: mentions of torture, strong language, strong violence⚠️

Tony woke up to shouting.

At first, he thought he was still at the Avengers Tower and that Clint was arguing with Thor for stealing the last pancake after Tony had fallen asleep on the couch after movie night. He waited for Steve to start telling the two to knock it off and that there were plenty of pancakes left but it didn't happen and now that he thought about it, those voices didn't sound like Thor or Clint.

But then it all came rushing back and Tony's eyes snapped open.

He sat up quickly but didn't get much further than that before rough hands gripped his arms, yanking them behind his back. Tony yelled some uncomplimentary things as he fought against the hold but it was useless as the person holding him managed to tie something around his wrists, binding them behind his back.

They released him and he tried his best to stay sitting upright as he took in the situation. Loki sat a little ways from him, also bound by what looked like...string?

Loki wasn't looking at Tony however. He was instead glaring with deep hatred at whoever had tied them up. Tony twisted to look behind him where he could hear gruff voices talking.

"We lucked in, didn't we?" One said and Tony finally managed to scoot around on his butt to see two men grinning widely at both him and Loki.

The men's teeth could very well use a toothbrush and some braces as they were so crooked they must get food stuck between their teeth a lot. The men were dirty, mud and muck smeared all over their clothes which were also grungy and had brown stains all over them.

And they were short.

Not _short_ short but definitely shorter than the average person. They were maybe just shorter than Tony if he was standing. Which meant, yeah, they were definitely in Nidavellir. And yeah, those people must be dwarves.

Honestly, Tony expected them to be shorter (is that dwarfism?) but these guys could pass for short humans if they weren't such a sight for sore eyes.

Tony glanced back at Loki who only had eyes for the pair of dwarves, ignoring Tony completely. Tony tried not to feel put out by that as he turned his attention back to the other two and yelped when he found one of them, the one with mud brown hair, right up in his face.

"Give a guy some warning, would you? Geez!" Tony exclaimed, trying to scoot back a few inches and attempted not to gag by the smell of the man's breath. It was like week old milk. Sour and tangy. Ugh.

Tony unfortunately didn't get far before his hair was gripped in a vice like grip and his head was bent back, forced to look up at the guy standing over him. "This one's a good one. Nice tan, don't cha think, Dungi?"

"Yeah, he'll get us big bucks," the other one called. Tony assumed their name was Dungi. "How much you think for that one."

Tony couldn't see where Dungi was pointing but he assumed it was at Loki and he renewed his struggling only to get a swift knee to the stomach making the air leave his lungs and cause him to choke.

"Quite ya squirmin'," the one holding Tony grumbled, yanking at the geniuses hair, shaking his head.

"I'd say, a handful of red gold for each," Dungi decided, walking but over to where the other was gripping Tony's hair so tight that he was afraid the dwarf would rip a chunk of it out. "Keep him still, Nangi."

Tony's eyes went wide in panic and fear at the scalpel held in Dungi's hand, bringing it up to Tony's cheek.

"Stop!" Loki's voice shouted suddenly, anger and a forceful tone of power behind his voice. Even though it wasn't directed at him, Tony wanted to just go completely limp and obey, to no longer struggle.

The two dwarfs looked over at Loki, Nangi's hand still fisted in Tony's hair but not so tight. "An' why should we? Everyone knows bett'r than to sleep out in the open. Everyone and everything that we find is free for us to take. Every dwarf knows that."

"We're not from here," Loki spoke and Tony could see Loki through the gap between Nangi and Gungi. "We do not know your rules. Now. Let. Us. Go!"

Tony felt the words wash over him like a wave had smashed into him, leaving him feeling stunned and dazed. If he had been holding anything he would have thrown it away from him in an instant, no questions asked.

The pair hesitated, the grip on his hair loosening almost enough to pull away.

But then Nangi was scowling, marching forward, taking Loki's head and smashing it against the brick wall beside him.

"Hey!" Tony shouted, snapping out of his daze at the sight of Loki being hurt. He struggled once more, kicking out his legs and managed to get a blow to Gungi's stomach, getting the dwarf to release him.

Tony scrambled back but didn't get very far before Gungi shoved him and he fell flat back, arms trapped under him and Gungi straddled him, placing a hand on his chest so he couldn't sit up.

"Don't damage the product," Gungi grunted to Nangi, not taking those light blue eyes off of Tony who was cursing under his breath, kicking his legs still but getting nowhere.

"This one needs to learn to keep his mouth shut. You think you can trick us into lettin' you go?" Nangi's voice spoke from the side and Tony turned his head to see that Nangi had Loki pressed up to the brick wall of the tunnel, a hand covering the god's mouth.

Loki's green eyes looked livid as he glared at Nangi, a trickle of blood running from his temple but Loki didn't show any pain, only deep hatred.

"Just skin him. That'll shut him up," Gungi said, like a throwaway comment but Tony's stomach lurched. 'Just skin him'? What the hell did he mean by that?!

"Whoa, wait a sec!" Tony protested, wriggling under the man atop him. "Can't we make a deal here?"

The men paused.

"What kinda deal?" Nangi asked, raising a bushy eyebrow.

Tony swallowed. "I, uh, I have money! Heaps and heaps of money! I can give you some."

"We searched you while you were asleep," Nangi stated (creepo). "You have no money."

Tony frowned, glancing around but the pack Hela had given him was nowhere to be seen. He wondered if some other dwarf had stolen it while they slept. Great.

"It isn't on me. It's back home. On Midgard. But I can bring you some. Just let us go," Tony pleaded, trying to convey a look of trustworthiness but he didn't think he quite managed it as Gungi snarled.

"Nice try. Like we'd believe you'd come back to pay us. Your skin will do us well enough," the dwarf decided with a nasty grin with yellow teeth with bits of...of _stuff_ between them.

Tony gagged just looking at it, turning his face away.

"Which one should we skin first? The mouthy one or mister richy here?" Gungi asked Nangi who grunted.

"This one seems familiar now that I think about it," Nangi said and Tony saw him scrutinizing Loki's face, finally taking away his hand. "Who are you? An Aesir by the smell of ya. You reek of Asgard. And that one," Nangi nodded towards Tony, "smells of Midgard. But who are you? I'd hate to kill someone important."

Gungi scowled. "Yeah, we already got Odin on our backs because of that other murder. What was her name?"

Before Nangi could reply Loki spoke over them both. "I am Loki Odinson and I demand you let us go this instant!"

Both dwarves froze, both their eyes going while so much that it looked almost comical.

"Loki Odinson?" Gungi breathed. Tony wished he wouldn't. The dude's breath was horrid enough as it is without it being breathed right onto his face.

"I can't believe it," Nangi said, eyes as wide as fifty cent pieces.

For a moment, Tony dared to hope that they would be let go.

He hated when he was wrong.

"We hit the jackpot!" Nangi exclaimed, eyes shining with joy and malice. " _The_ Loki. I must say, it is quite the honor to meet you. We dwarves have heard much about you."

Loki blinked, clearly not expecting that reaction. "What do you—?"

"Don't say you've forgotten?" Nangi said, eyes wide. "I must say, it healed well by the looks of it. Must have been painful, not being able to spread your nasty lies."

Tony watched with increasing worry as Loki suddenly went pale.

"Oi! Shut the fuck up you underdevepoled maggot!" Tony shouted angrily, bucking up to try and throw the dwarf pinning him down but for such a short guy, he was pretty damn heavy.

Nangi smirked, his grip tight on Loki's arm. "I wonder how much the Allfather would pay for Jotun skin goochie handbag?" He hissed, lifting the scalpel in his hand to Loki's throat.

Tony shouted as the first drop of blood appeared at Loki's neck, bucking more only to have Gungi slap him across the face. Tony spat curses at him, squirming and wriggling around.

"Awe, crud," Gungi whined suddenly. "Nangi, we got damaged goods 'ere!"

Tony was relieved that Nangi took the scalpel away from Loki's throat to look at Gungi with a frown. But then that relief turned to horror when he realized that his right sleeve had ridden up from all his squirming, baring his frost bitten arm for the dwarf on top of him to get an eyeful of.

Tony glanced over at Loki and _of course_ the god was looking at him now, but hopefully from this angle, Loki wouldn't be able to see his injured arm that was still half trapped under him.

Nangi let Loki go, heading towards them but Loki was faster.

It was so fast it was a blink and you'll miss it. One second Nangi was walking towards them a scowl on his face for being interrupted committing murder, the next Loki had braced himself against the wall, kicking out a long leg which hit the back of dwarfs knee making Nangi stumble.

Loki brought his hands forward, the string the dwarves had used to tie them undone at his feet and then there was a flash, a loud bang and then Tony was blinded by a bright light. He squeezed his eyes shut, turning his face away as the light grew brighter and he swore that Gungi was getting heavier.

Then all at once the light was gone.

Tony blinked his eyes open, trying to readjust to the sudden darkness of the world once more. Above him, Gungi's face portrayed one of shocked horror, his heavy weight pressing down on the geniuses stomach.

And he was completely made of stone.

No wonder he was so heavy. Tony groaned, huffing out a breath as he attempted his sad wriggling once more to get out from under the gargoyle.

"Let me," Loki's voice spoke from beside him. Hands gripped under his armpits and he was pulled out with ease, only his clothes catching.

Tony struggled to sit up and obeyed when Loki told him to stay still. Hands untied his wrists and Tony had to resist the urge to lurch away from Loki as soon as he had, afraid he'd see his injured arm if he hadn't already.

But when Tony turned to look at him, Loki didn't seem to have noticed anything and if he had, he didn't say. In fact, Loki looked far too gone in his own mind to notice anything.

"Hey, you okay?" Tony asked, reaching up and gently brushed Loki's cheek which seemed to snap Loki out of his daze.

"Fine. Perfectly fine," Loki said quietly.

Tony knew he wasn't, but considering he was hiding that he was currently dying from Loki, he decided not to push. "You know, I think I've had enough of Nidavellir. What do you say?"

Loki slowly nodded. "I believe so, yes. Come along."

The god marched away and Tony went to follow before a shimmer to his left caught his eye and he turned. Sitting where they'd been sleeping before was the pack Hela had given them. So it could turn invisible. Sure, why not?

Tony grabbed the strap, slinging it over his shoulder before he followed after him, jogging to catch up so Loki couldn't be lost in the gloom. He glanced back at the two new stone sculptures left behind. "How did you—?"

"Dwarves are sensitive to light," Loki answered, seemingly already knowing what Tony was going to ask. Already the god knew him so well. "If dwarves are exposed to too much sunlight then they turn to stone."

"Are they dead?" Tony asked next, tone hesitant.

"They deserve to be, but no. The effects can be reversed by dipping them into water," Loki explained and Tony couldn't help but agree. Those two deserved more than being turned to stone.

"So, you can summon sunlight? That's cool," Tony commented, making Loki roll his eyes though he finally gave a small smile.

"Not all my powers are restricted. The non harmful ones I still have," Loki said with a shrug. "Save teleportation that is. Odin would not allow me to keep that or else I would have simply teleported from Niflheim."

"Yeah, you mentioned that before when I almost fell—" Tony coughed awkwardly, realizing what he was saying. "Never mind."

Loki snorted, leading Tony down a pathway that led to an undergrowth of trees. "Yes, I remember."

Tony grimaced. "Right, yeah. Um," the genius licked his dry lips, wondering if he should even ask, but curiosity got the better of him. "What was Nangi talking about?"

Loki's eyes shuttered and Tony mentally cursed himself. "About what?"

"About the, um," Tony made a vague gesture with his hand. "How you're apparently popular with the dwarves or whatever."

Loki's brow was furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line and Tony wondered if he'd gone too far and the god was going to strangle him for being an insensitive ass.

They kept walking for so long that Tony was sure Loki wasn't going to answer. His legs were starting to ache from walking so far but finally they made it to the waterfall.

Tony stared down, swallowing hard.

"It is because of Odin."

Tony glanced at Loki, confused for a moment. "What is?"

"Why I'm so 'popular' as you put it with the dwarves here," Loki sighed, face pained. "When I was a bit younger, a hundred or so years ago, I played a prank on the wrong person."

Tony was silent, waiting to see how much Loki would tell him. He was glad Loki was finally opening up to him, telling Tony more about himself but it also made Tony feel guilty. Here Loki was telling him about something that clearly pained the god and he couldn't even tell Loki he was dying.

What sort of person did that make him?

He couldn't even tell Loki about what had happened when he'd jumped off that chasm from Muspelheim to Helheim. He was scared to tell the god that, because of him, someone would die. He was a coward.

"As a result, Odin decided a suitable punishment would be—" Loki let out a shaky breath, turning his face to the side. "He had my mouth sewn shut."

And that was it for Tony.

The mental image of what that must look like was too much. He rushed to the side, doubled over and lost the little food left in his stomach.

Tony retched, clutching at his stomach and even when there was nothing left to come up he dry retched, not being able to handle knowing something so, so, so cruel and twisted had happened to Loki. Who the hell did that? What the fuck is wrong with Odin?

"'M sorry. Probably wasn't the best reaction," Tony mumbled once he'd finished losing his lunch, leaning heavily against the tree, looking over at Loki who was staring at the ground, face blank, avoid of emotion. Tony shook his head, walking over to the god and before he could think better of it, wrapped his arms around Loki's waist, holding tightly.

There was a beat where Loki didn't react and Tony wondered if he should move away but then Loki's arms came around his shoulders and held on like the god's life depended on it.

"Odin h-had a dwarf do it. They used an unbreakable string, enchanted so I couldn't just pull it out," Loki murmured into Tony's hair which the genius realized Loki had buried his face into. "That's why almost every dwarf knows who I am and why most hate my very presence."

"They can all get fucked," Tony grumbled. "They don't know what they're missing out on."

"Near death experiences and daily terror?" Loki inquired and Tony knew without looking that the god was smiling. The thought made Tony chuckle.

"That's part of the fun, right? Speaking of, wanna jump off a waterfall with me?" Tony suggested though really, he'd much rather just hold Loki and never let go, but Loki drew much and Tony forced himself to release the god.

"I suppose we must," Loki agreed with reluctance. "Surprisingly enough, I know of this fall. Hela is taking a risky gamble indeed but she is right. This is our best bet to get to Midgard."

Tony nodded. Determined not to chicken out, he took Loki's hand, leading him over to the edge of the waterfall, looking at the water below. The rushing water sounded much louder than it should have done in Tony ears, almost deafeningly so. His heart raced as panic tried to cease him, pushing forth memories of Afghanistan and the waterboarding and—

"Anthony?" Loki said, his tone worried and Tony forced himself to take a shuddering breath.

"I'm good. Let's just do this already. The quicker we get this done, the faster we get home," Tony stated, ignoring the voice in his head echoing the words Loki had spoken to him before.

_'I don't have a home, Stark. Midgard is your home. Not mine.'_

But Tony wouldn't accept that. Midgard would be Loki's home. He'd make damn well sure of it. No matter what anyone said, he'd make sure Loki knew Midgard can and always would be Loki's home, if he chose to have it.

"On three?" Tony suggested after a beat of silence. Loki nodded stiffly and Tony took a deep breath, gripping Loki's hand tighter, determined not to let go. "One...two...three!"

In perfect sync, they leaped.

And no. Tony _totally_ didn't scream like a girl the whole way down.

(He did)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒These two just can't seem to catch a break, can they? You'll probably hate me for the next chapter. Near death experiences, here we come! :D Also, 𝘵𝘰𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 don't have ten more chapters ready and three more almost finished. Will I publish them? Nah, I'll let you suffer a while longer >:D✒


	23. Breathe For Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: character death, strong language⚠️

Loki coughed, his lungs burning for air as he gasped for breath. His brain processed that he was lying on hard ground, water lapping at his legs. Sunshine shone down on his wet face and slowly, Loki blinked his eyes open.

A sun hung above him in a clear blue sky, birds chirping and the water rushing in the river near him. Everything felt stiff and sore as he sat up, head pounding with a headache.

Where was he?

Loki looked around, taking in the trees surrounding them, the river nearby, eyes full of confusion. He remembered little of what happened. Something about jumping into water, suffocating, struggling to breathe as the water enveloped him.

He was still looking around trying to get his bearing when he spotted a still figure not far from him that made his heart stop in its tracks.

Tony.

Loki scrambled to his feet, ignoring the way his body screamed in protest and rushed to Tony's side, dropping down to his knees, eyes now full of fear.

Tony lay on his side, hair wet and sticking to his forehead, face pale. His clothes were drenched also, water from the river lapping at the geniuses side.

Loki pressed his fingers to the man's neck, checking for a pulse when he realized he couldn't make out the rise and fall of Tony's chest.

Nothing.

"No, no, no. Don't you dare do this to me, Stark!" Loki snapped, panic making him both fearful as well as irrationally angry. Tony couldn't leave him.

Carefully, Loki rolled Tony onto his back, barely thinking about it, as if it were second nature as he splayed his hands across Tony chest, making sure not to be over the arc reactor before pressing down with a harsh push, remembering the lessons his Mother had given him in this when Thor, the oaf, had almost once drowned.

Back then, Loki had been helpless, screaming bloody murder until someone had come running. After he had asked his Mother to teach him what to do so if it ever happened again, he would know how to help. He never did like feeling helpless.

But even now that he knew what to do, in the face of possibly losing Tony, he still felt so utterly helpless, pressing down again and again but still, Tony didn't breathe.

For something such as this, magic was out of the question. It could very well do more harm than good and even then, Loki wasn't sure still what magic was available to him and it would take far too much time to test it out. Tony would be dead by then.

 _'Unless he already is. Unless you're already too late,'_ a nasty voice that sounded a lot like Thanos hissed in his mind making a broken sob burst from Loki's lips. _'What if all you're pushing against is the chest of a corpse?'_

No, he was okay. He would have to be okay. Loki couldn't lose him, he couldn't. He couldn't dammit!

"Please, please, please," Loki pleaded, tears slipping down his already wet cheeks, dripping onto Tony's face that was still unresponsive. "Please, Anthony. Breathe for me, please."

 _'Face it. He's gone. You're too late,'_ the voice whispered in Loki's mind.

Loki refused to believe it, even though he knew deep down, the voice may very well be right. He didn't know how long he'd been unconscious for. He didn't know how long Tony had been lying here, unbreathing, his heart not beating.

It had only been yesterday when he'd been listening to Tony's heart beat in his chest as the both of them drifted off to sleep. And now...and now…

"No," Loki said with a shuddering breath. "No," he repeated. "You're not leaving me, Anthony. Not today."

Not ever.

Loki leaned down, bracing himself before he covered Tony's open mouth with his own, pinching the geniuses nose before breathing air through Tony's lips. It was the last resort, the only thing left he could think of.

As far as first kisses go, Loki was sure this wasn't the way he had hoped for it to happen. But he didn't care. He loved Tony and even if this wasn't the kiss he would have wanted with the genius, he would do it a million times again if it meant Tony lived.

He pulled back, pressing again against Tony chest before repeating the process all over again.

Loki had gone over it at least seven times more and still Tony's heart ceased to beat and his chest refused to rise and Loki was forced to accept the truth lying right in front of him.

Tony was gone.

It was like Loki's heart had been torn out of his chest at the pain those words caused him. Tony was gone and nothing Loki could do would bring Tony back. No matter how much Loki wished he could, he couldn't simply just breathe life back into Tony.

Tears fell freely down Loki's face now, splashing on Tony's cold, pale face.

"I'm so sorry, Anthony," Loki whispered, chest feeling too tight, breaths coming out in gasps. He couldn't get enough air and part of him didn't want to. He didn't want to live if Tony didn't. The realization shocked Loki to his core but it was the truth.

A sob tore from Loki's throat. Tony was gone. He was gone.

Loki slowly leaned down then, pressing his lips to Tony's, a hand over the geniuses arc reactor that still shone, pulsing its steady blue light despite its owner's real heart no longer beating.

He was forced to accept that Tony was truly lost to him. Tony was gone and nothing he could do would bring him back.

At least, not yet.

"I love you," Loki whispered, pain tearing his heart to shreds at the words Tony couldn't hear. The words he should have told Tony when he first knew the words to be true. But he didn't. And now Tony wouldn't ever know how he felt about him.

Loki didn't care what it took. He didn't care about the laws of life and death. He'd find Tony again and drag him back to the living no matter what it took, even if it cost him his own life.

Then Tony shifted beneath him.

Loki pulled away from Tony lips, green eyes going wide as golden brown eyes flew open, a gasp of breath passing through those lips.

Relief raced like liquid fire through Loki's veins. Tony was okay. He was alive. He wasn't gone. Loki sobbed in relief, relief that almost hurt had it not also felt so good.

Then Tony rolled onto his side and threw up into the river.

Loki couldn't find it in him to feel insulted even as he spoke, voice breaking as his brain kept trying to process that Tony was alive, he was okay. "Oh, p-please. My breath isn't that b-bad."

Tony groaned, glaring half heartedly at the river beside him distrustfully. "T-this is officially...going to b-be the...reason I h-hate w-water," he said in between breaths.

Loki let out a broken laugh, drawing Tony's attention to the god, seeming to take in Loki's wrecked look and a grimace of guilt crossed the man's face but Loki stopped him before he could even think to apologize.

"Do not say a word of apology. I don't care for it. You're alive. That's all that m-matters," Loki stated firmly before taking a deep calming breath. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit in all h-honesty," Tony admitted. "P-please tell me we're not doing that or a-anything even relatively close to that ever a-again."

"I promise you we will not," Loki said in an instant, desperate to make it up to Tony even though he knew Tony didn't blame him for this. But still, guilt ate away at him. He knew that Tony wasn't fond of water and still, Loki hadn't protested the idea of Tony jumping into a dangerous body of water.

Tony sat up, grimacing as he did, a hand going to his head where Loki now saw a bruise forming.

"Did you—" Tony started before breaking off from a coughing fit.

Loki leaned forward so he could touch his fingers to the bruise, his seiðr travelling through them into Tony's skin, healing what was damaged. It was safer to do now that Tony was awake.

"Th-thanks," Tony said once his coughing had subsided more or less.

"Of course," Loki said softly, reaching down and taking Tony's hand in his own. Already the warmth was coming back into Tony's skin. "What were you saying?"

If Tony thought anything of the hand holding, he didn't show. "I remember...I th-thought that you—" Tony swallowed, golden brown eyes looking up, searching Loki's poisonous green ones. "Did you kiss me?"

Loki's stomach dropped, a sick feeling settling in. He hadn't realized that Tony had even noticed that Loki's lips had been on his when he'd finally started breathing again.

"I was...I was doing a technique my Mother taught me when I was young. Thor had quite nearly drowned one time and—" Loki balled his hands into fists, hating the half lie already. It was the truth, but it wasn't. He didn't know why it was so hard to lie to Tony. "I felt helpless then. I made sure that I wouldn't have to ever feel helpless again."

"Oh," Tony mumbled, looking down at the ground, a frown on his lips. He looked almost...disappointed? "I thought you said...never mind. Must've been hallucinating or some shit. So, um, do you know wh-where we are at least?"

And just like that, it was over. All the fear Loki had felt, all the anger at possibly losing Tony was gone as if it had never happened.

Loki wasn't sure how he felt about that. How Tony brushed off almost dying like it was nothing. And what had Tony been able to say?

"I'm not sure. Nowhere dangerous I don't believe as we haven't yet been attacked," Loki sighed. 

"Don't jinx us now," Tony grumbled. "As soon as someone says 'at least we haven't been attacked' or 'we're safe' something will come along and prove us just how wrong we are."

Loki gave a begrudging smile. "You should change out of those clothes."

"Um, right," Tony said, looking around. "Shit, do we still have that pack?"

Loki glanced around also. "There," he said, standing and grabbing the pack that had thankfully washed up with them. He unzipped it, pulling out fresh clothes and handed them over to Tony who took them gratefully.

"I'll just go change. Be back," Tony mumbled, his eyes not meeting Loki's as he stood on wobbly legs and stumbled behind some nearby shrubbery.

Loki stared after him, confused. Sure, there was definitely such a thing as privacy and all which Loki very much respected but he had assumed that Tony wasn't really one of those people. Apparently he was wrong.

But Loki wondered if it was something else entirely. He hadn't forgotten the dwarves' words.

_'Nangi, we got damaged goods 'ere!'_

And then there had been the look of fear and horror on Tony's face at those words, looking over at Loki as if afraid of something. But Loki didn't understand it. Was it Tony's reactor in the geniuses chest that Gungi had meant?

Somehow, Loki didn't think that was it.

Loki shook his head and started to get changed out of his wet clothes himself the mundane way, peeling off his wet clothes and changing into fresh ones. He could have simply used his magic to change but he didn't want to use up his seiðr if they were not as safe as it seemed. He dressed himself in comfortable black pants and a loose green shirt with long sleeves. He smiled, satisfied with his daughters choosing.

"Hey, Lokes?"

Loki turned towards where Tony now stepped out in his new clothes and had to withhold a cackle of laughter. "Oh, Anthony. That does nothing for your ass."

Tony pouted at Loki, lip sticking out like the child he acted like. The clothes he wore were skin tight, clinging tightly to his body leaving nearly nothing for imagination. The arc still shone through the shirt that showed off Tony's muscled chest and flat stomach. "Very funny. Your daughter obviously has a sense of humor."

"Clearly she learned from the best," Loki said with a wicked smile that made the genius roll his eyes.

"Anyway, I saw something you should probably see," Tony said, waving towards the way he had come.

Loki frowned, walking after Tony and tried not to stare at the man's swaying ass.

Tony parted some leaves and Loki peaked through. What he saw were people, hundreds, maybe thousands all over a large field. Some were walking around, others lying or sitting on the ground chatting to one another, some played music, kicking around a soccer ball, just basically being chilled out.

Each person carried some sort of weapon in their hand or were resting beside them and some even wore some sort of armour though none of the people seemed very interested in fighting one another.

Loki scowled at the peaceful scene.

"Think they'll kill us if we walk out there?" Tony asked warily.

"I doubt it. The good news is that I know where we are," Loki said, eyes looking over the many fallen warriors.

"I'm guessing there's bad news here? If I'm wrong then do tell me. I'd love to be wrong," Tony pleaded.

Loki shook his head, taking Tony's hand and tugging him onwards. "Come on. Let's go see if she still hates my guts."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒How many of you thought Tony was actually dead for a second there? Come on, be honest✒


	24. Tony Plays With Kittens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

Turns out the people were friendly.

Tony didn't know how many times someone said 'hi' or 'hello' or 'wassup' as he passed them by. One even shook his hand with a wide grin plastered across their face like they knew exactly who Tony was, greeting him excitedly. Being famous, Tony wasn't as disturbed as he probably should have been.

Not to say that he wasn't.

"Why are all these people so—" Tony waved his hand vaguely as he tried to think of a word to describe them all, nothing coming to him.

"Stupid?" Loki suggested. "Dim witted?"

"I was gonna say 'cheerful' but whatever floats your boat," Tony mumbled. He didn't look up at Loki. He didn't know what he'd do if he did. Probably stare like an idiot. All he could think about was how he had very nearly drowned. The fact that Loki had technically kissed him despite the god saying he hadn't as Loki tried to breathe life back into him. And the words he'd thought Loki whispered to him, like a secret.

_'I love you.'_

But obviously Loki hadn't. The god didn't want him that way, did not love him whatsoever. He was a mortal. Nothing more to Loki but a nuisance for sure. Loki would never say that, even if he thought Tony was dead. And he _had_ been dead even if very briefly.

Tony knew, not because Loki explained how his heart hadn't been beating, that he hadn't been breathing but because he had been back there. In Helheim. He had seen Hela, her taunting smile on her lips, had heard her 'welcome back' and Garm's howl in the distance before he had been suddenly and violently thrown back into his body.

Tony hadn't been able to tell Loki who currently had no idea of his near death experience.

Loki frowned, obviously not understanding the reference Tony had made. "They are undead warriors."

"That explains _sooo_ much," Tony snarked, glancing curiously at each person they passed, their expressions vacant as if they weren't completely there. It was almost...unnerving. "So, wait. These people were dead? For dead guys they're awfully happy about it."

Loki looked as if he wanted to laugh but wasn't sure if it was appropriate to. "This is their afterlife."

Tony glanced around. Endless expanse of grass fields with hills in the distance, flowers growing from the ground, sun shining overhead, blue skies, not a cloud in sight.

"Ugh," Tony scowled. "What kind of afterlife is this?"

"It isn't the worst afterlife to have, Anthony," Loki reasoned. "There are three Norse afterlife's. This one is Folkvanger. It's a place that resides in Vanaheim. It's much better than what you could get."

"Three? That's a lot of afterlife's," Tony said, watching as two men sparred with their swords clanging against one another before suddenly dropping them, looking uninterested and went off in opposite directions. "I don't think this one's for me though. And, no offense, but I'm still an atheist. I don't care how many gods I meet, it ain't changing."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Your choices are here, Valhalla or Helheim. Folkvanger gets half of all fallen warriors and half go to here."

"Wait, only fallen warriors get to come here?" Tony asked, eyebrows shooting up. "Why not other people? Like the people who did good things with their lives?"

Loki looked slightly pained. "Anthony, not everyone gets the afterlife they deserve. You see all these people have a weapon, yes? That's the weapon they died holding, defending a good cause, fighting for another's life. A selfless act. That's the only way to get into either Folkvanger or Valhalla. The rest...the rest go to Helheim."

"All of them?" Tony inquired, a sinking feeling in his stomach wondering if his Mother had...

"Some end up in Ginnungagap," Loki admitted. "The ones who do not believe there's such a thing as an afterlife? That's exactly what they experience. No afterlife. No Heaven or Hell. Nothing. Trapped in darkness for eternity."

Tony swallowed, suddenly hating his declaration from before. "But why Helheim? All those good people. It's not fair."

"You know that saying? Life isn't fair? The same goes with death," Loki sighed, stepping over a patch of flowers. "It's just the way things are."

Tomy frowned to himself, thinking that over but still couldn't make sense of it. And what Loki had said about having to get into either of those places for heroic warriors.

A selfless act.

But then, there was the way Hela had said she'd see Tony again if he never found the cure to his injury. Even then, she had seemed so sure that Tony, despite him being Ironman, despite him battling the bad guys, despite him fighting to protect other people, despite fighting every day of his life since joining the Avengers with some form of a weopon, she'd seemed like she _knew_ he would still end up in Helheim for her to torture for eternity.

_'This type of injury as you claim it to be. Unfortunately, you will die. Very soon and I shall claim your soul when you do.'_

A coldness raced down his spine, wondering if she was right, if soon enough he would be killed by the frostbite slowly consuming him or something entirely different.

He felt his hands clenched into fists.

Well, he'd just have to prove her wrong, wouldn't he?

Tony looked up, about to ask where exactly they were going when his eyes caught something ahead of them. "Is that a boat?

"It's proper name is Sessrumnir," Loki corrected. "It's sort of like the palace here."

Tony stared at the massive golden silver boat. "Okay, but why is it upside down?"

Loki smiled just a bit. "A lot of Norse people did so back in the day to make buildings. In this case, when doomsday rolls around, they'll just flip Sessrumnir the right way up and sail nobly to their deaths."

"Doomsday...Ragnarok, right?" Tony guessed and Loki nodded. "And who's 'they'."

"The ruler here of course. Her and her Brother," Loki said which didn't really answer Tony's question. 

"She wouldn't happen to be the chick that also happens to apparently hate your guts, is she?" Tony asked and when Loki didn't answer, he sighed. "Just checking."

"Let's hope she's in a good mood," Loki muttered, almost to himself. "Please let her be in a good mood."

That didn't really help with Tony optimism.

But still, he followed Loki into the huge upside down ship, up the gangplank.

The exterior was actually quite nice. It was silver and gold as it showed outside and actually resembled something that looked like the inside of a grand building or palace.

Loki led Tony through it as if he'd been there before (which he probably had). Tony wanted to stop and gawk at everything but Loki's grip on his hand was unrelenting, pulling Tony along whether he liked it or not. Loki kept his eyes ahead and Tony could see the tension built up in Loki's muscles (not that he was looking at Loki's muscles or anything).

They entered another room filled with...cats.

At least, that's all Tony could process when he looked around. Cats were everywhere. Lounging on tables, under lamps (how does a boat have electricity?) stretched out across the carpet. Just everywhere. There didn't seem to be anywhere that he could look and _not_ see cats.

One streaked over to Tony in a flash of ginger fur and rubbed itself against Tony's legs, making the man smile despite himself. "This one is cute. Can we keep it?"

Loki wasn't paying him any mind though, instead looking up at the wall it seemed, but when Tony looked he saw...he saw…

Oh fuck.

The cats completely forgotten, Tony stared at the woman who seemed to have popped out of nowhere with wide eyes. The woman in question had long flowing blonde hair that reached her waist, full red lips, dark lashes and the bluest of blue eyes. She wore a silk dress that showed off her...physique.

Tony's brain short circuited just by looking at her the pack slung over his arm falling to the floor with a thud. He was pretty sure his mouth was hanging wide open but he couldn't bring himself to care. Everything about her made Tony scream in want. She seemed to just glow with her radiance and beauty and—

Loki stepped on his foot.

"Ow, fuck! What was that for?!" Tony squeaked out, hopping on one foot as he held his throbbing one, glaring at Loki who had a look of indifference on his face.

The woman sitting on what Tony guessed was a throne smiled. "I do not think the trickster meant any harm. Many get caught up in my looks."

"Well, I mean—" Tony swallowed, mouth suddenly dry and feeling very tongue tight as his gaze found its way back to the woman. "You are very—"

"No need to flatter me. I've been told needless times before," the lady said with a smile that made Tony melt inside. He'd do anything for this woman. She could tell him to leap off of Yggdrasil and he'd damn well do it, just to keep her smiling—

"Anthony, snap out of it," Loki hissed. "You're being enchanted by her beauty. Stop looking at her."

"Oh, hush now, Loki dearest," the woman said in that soft voice that floated through Tony's head as he stared openly at her. "I mean no harm. So long as you keep your tongue then there's no reason to harm this lovely little mortal of yours."

"He isn't mine," Loki seethed. "He's his own person. He belongs to no one but himself."

Tony frowned when the lady looked at Loki with a raised eyebrow, forgetting where exactly they were. What were they doing here again?

"Don't be silly. Of course he belongs to you. You want him, do you not? He wants you, don't you Anthony?" The woman looked back at him with a disarming smile and Tony frantically nodded, the question barely registering. All he knew was that he wanted her to keep smiling and never stop.

"Stop fiddling with his emotions," Loki spoke from beside him before Tony's face was pushed away from looking at the lady and Loki's face swam into view. He felt groggy as he looked at Loki, feeling like the world was tilting. "Anthony, play with the cats."

Strange request but who cares? If Loki wanted him to do something, he'd do it. Because he would do anything and everything for Loki.

Tony managed a nod before his knees gave out and he dropped to the floor, steadying himself with his hands. The ginger cat that had been rubbing against his legs jumped back with an alarmed meow but then wandered back, rubbing itself against his face.

Tony's head felt like it was stuffed with cotton but still he managed to reach out a hand, scratching the cats ears. The ginger cat purred, leaning into it.

"You're no fun," he heard the woman say.

Loki scoffed. "I'd rather him not be swayed by your so-called charm, Freya."

"Like I said, I wouldn't have hurt him if you kept your tongue in check. But no matter. What is it that you're doing here?" The woman, Freya, said in false curiosity.

"You know why," Loki said from beside Tony who now had a second cat that had padded over resting in his lap as he sat cross legged on the floor, barely aware of the two talking.

"Odin banished you. To help you would be treason," Freya argued lightly.

"The Allfather is not your King," Loki said simply.

"The Allfather is powerful enough to make me pay for helping you and this 'traitor' as the whole of Asgard has called the mortal," Freya stated, waving a hand towards Tony who had looked up at 'mortal' since usually that's what he was referred as by Loki.

As soon as he looked at Freya his head started fuzzing up again. "We won't tell Odin. Promise," he mumbled.

Loki swiftly stood in front of Tony, blocking his view of the lady on the throne. "Anthony, what did I tell you?"

"Play with the cats?" Tony repeated, his memories from only moments ago disoriented.

"Exactly," Loki muttered.

Tony went back to playing with the cats.

"Please, Freya. I know you do not see me as a friend, barely even an acquaintance but I do need your help. Anthony is being blamed for something he did not do. He's being punished for standing up for me like a fool but his intentions were good," Loki pleaded with the woman. "I know where we need to go. Yggdrasil is far too risky. Twice we've almost died. I need another form of transport and there's only one place, one way to get it. I know Vanir gods such as yourself have access to get there."

Tony looked at Loki with a frown, wondering what he meant, then at Freya through Loki's legs as he was still blocking Freya from view.

Freya cocked her head to the side as if considering this, a small smile on her blood red lips. Her fingers tapped against the armrest of her throne repetitively before she turned her head to the side and called out. "Frey! Get up here!"

Someone shouted back something that Tony didn't make out before a man walked into the room. Said man had long wavy blond hair and startling deep blue eyes like the ocean. He was fairly tall and lean though muscled. It was like a lowkey Thor.

"Yes, sister?" The man, Tony guessed was Frey, said to Freya. Now that Tony looked between them, he could see the similarities between the two. Same blond hair, same shade of blue eyes, same features. If Tony had to guess, he'd say the pair were twins.

"You remember Loki, don't you?" Freya said, gesturing to the god.

Frey glanced at Loki who seemed rather stiff. "That I do. What about him? Do you want me to run him through?"

Loki took a step back, almost stepping on Tony's hand but the genius pulled it out of the way before he could. The cat he was petting raced over to Frey. The god smiled down at the cat and bent down to pet it.

"We'll see. He and his mortal wish to get to Midgard and they need our help to do it. I was wondering what you think of the matter," Freya explained.

Frey raised a blond eyebrow at Loki, then at Tony who was scratching another cat's belly, this one pure white. "I see. This wouldn't happen to be the mortal that is deemed a traitor, would it?"

"The very one," Freya agreed.

"Hm," Frey hummed, regarding Tony who blinked back at him, the effects from Freya's looks slowly going away the longer he didn't look over at her. "Well, I suppose there's only one thing to do then."

"Let us go home?" Tony suggested though he knew that wouldn't happen. They never got the easy way out.

Frey smiled at that before he stood despite the cat's yowling protest and drew the sword strapped to his side, pointing it at Loki. "I challenge you to a duel. If you win, you and your mortal can pass through on your way."

"And if I lose?" Loki asked warily, voice slightly strained.

"If you lose, you die," Frey stated with a shrug as if he hadn't claimed he'd commit murder. "And if you refuse the duel you may leave in peace and find another way to the mortal realm."

Tony could see how tense Loki was, hands clenched into fists which Tony reached out and touched gently with his fingers, not wanting the god to be startled. The fist loosened enough for Tony to thread his fingers through Loki's.

"You don't have to do this," Tony whispered lowly, not loud enough for the twins to hear. "We can find another way."

Loki shook his head slowly. "There isn't. The Norns directed the river to lead us here. This is our best chance to get you home."

"Us. To get us home. We're both getting back to Midgard. I'm not leaving you behind," Tony huffed, tired of Loki denying Midgard to be his new home. Sure it was hard to let go of the home he had but by what Tony had seen, it had been a pretty shitty home.

"Do you accept or refuse?" Freya asked impatiently and when Tony looked at her this time round, all he felt was anger.

Before Tony could stop him, Loki had squeezed his hand in what seemed to be a reassurance and released it before he stepped forward, head held high without an ounce of fear in his posture.

"I accept the challenge."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Duel to the death! >:D✒


	25. We Need To Have A "Turning Into A Cat And Stabbing People" Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong violence⚠️

The cats cleared out, racing away from the center of the room to the outskirts as if they knew exactly what was about to happen. Likely, they did.

Loki reached down, grabbing Tony's arm and pulling him up. Tony bit hard at his lip as if the hold pained him and guilt crept into Loki's heart though he didn't see how it could possibly be hurting Tony. But the genius said nothing so he didn't either.

He led Tony a safe distance away, setting him on a stylish chair. "Anthony, you have to remember that no matter what happens, you cannot interfere, do you understand? I cannot have you getting involved. Frey is a god and will kill you in an instant. I need you to stay here where you're safe."

"But—"

"Promise me."

"Loki, I can't—"

"Anthony, please!"

Tony looked as if it were the last thing in the Nine Worlds that he wished to do but he slowly nodded stiffly. "I-I promise. But, Loki—"

"Thank you," Loki whispered softly, quickly leaning forward and kissing the geniuses cheek before he could overthink it.

Tony's stunned face was the last Loki saw of the genius before he turned away, walking back to the center of the room where Frey waited, his sword held loosely at his side but Loki knew just how well Frey knew how to use it.

"Choose a weapon," Frey said, gesturing to the weapons hanging decoratively from the walls of the ship.

Loki scrutinized them all before he shook his head. These were all swords and spears. These were no good to him. He turned to the pack Tony had dropped and opened it, ruffling around before pulling out a single dagger from its content, turning it over in his palm. It was easy to grip without it slipping from his hold, silver metal covered in runes. This would do.

Freya looked at the dagger in amusement. "Really? A dagger? Well, it's your funeral I suppose."

Loki scowled at her. One little prank and she never let it go. And they called him petty. It had been over five hundred years now and she still hadn't forgiven nor forgotten despite Loki apologizing centuries ago. Freya should be the goddess of holding grudges instead of love which she clearly knew nothing about.

Frey said nothing about Loki's weapon choice only leveling his own sword at the Mischief god. "Last chance to back out."

Loki only waited, showing with his eyes that he wouldn't relent. He wasn't a coward, nor would he run from a fight unless he knew he couldn't win, unless he knew that it was suicidal.

This fight however? Loki decided he had a fifty fifty chance.

Frey charged without warning, sword raised. Loki stepped back and ducked under the first slash towards his head, stepping to the side and backed up while the blond regained his balance.

Frey slashed at the same time he turned, making Loki move back to avoid becoming a shish kebab. Still, the swords blade sliced through his shirt, cutting a line across his chest.

He gasped, placing his free hand to his chest, over the fresh wound that stung, green eyes wide. Frey only grinned, blood shining deep red on his blade.

Loki chanced a glance towards Tony who was staring with wide fearful eyes, hands gripping the handrest of his seat so tightly his knuckles had turned white. It was clear Tony was making a personal effort to not jump up into the fight and protect Loki.

He turned his attention back to the fight, more wary then before as he made a sudden leap forward. Frey yelped as Loki sank his blade into his sword arm making him drop said weapon. Loki grabbed for it but Frey shoved him back, his dagger coming free from the blond's arm, covered in blood.

Loki watched with regret as Frey picked up his weapon, switching the sword to his left. Blood dripped down the man's arm to his wrist but he took no notice or this as he looked back at the raven.

Frey had a smile tugging at his lips. "Well, I have to say I'm surprised. You've got skill, Loki. Most would be dead by now."

Loki didn't respond to that, only watching as Frey approached with narrowed green eyes. Frey wasn't a man to underestimate. 

This was proved true when in a rush of speed the sword was swinging towards Loki's side. The god twisted his wrists, his dagger held in both hands as the sword clanged against his own blade, just managing to stop the blade mid swing.

Frey blinked, clearly stunned which gave Loki the chance to shove him back with his own blade, pushing with all his strength and causing Frey to stumble back. Loki swiped at him, missing Frey's throat by an inch when the other man swung his own sword making Loki jump back, his dagger connecting with Frey's blade and it went flying from his grip, clattering across the wooden floorboards.

Loki muttered a Norse curse word as he dived after it, Frey following after him. Loki gripped the handle, rolling onto his back just in time to catch Frey's sword on his dagger once more except now Loki was at the disadvantage.

Frey pressed his weight down on his weapon, Loki's arms screaming in protest as they shook at the pressure being placed upon them. He forced himself to hold his blade still from it slicing into his own neck, teeth gritted. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he brought his leg up and kicked out, a hard blow to Frey's stomach which both made the other man's blade slip out his grasp and wind him, dropping to the floor with a gasp.

Loki picked himself up from the floor, taking a moment to himself as Frey regained his breath. He wasn't the type to take advantage of a man on his knees, barely able to breathe much less defend himself.

He wasn't like those guards.

Frey looked up at Loki, obviously expecting Loki to have gone at him while he was down. "Pity?" He questioned.

Loki shook his head, watching Frey struggle to his feet. "I would not take away a man's dignity by killing him on his knees. He should at least die standing," he stated before he glanced over once again at Tony who looked disbelievingly back. Loki met his eyes with a hard gaze. "I'm not like them."

Tony's face turned sad but understanding crossed it also, knowing now why Loki hadn't taken advantage when he could.

Loki looked back at Frey who had watched the interaction with curious eyes. He didn't ask what Loki meant, seeming to know the Mischief god wouldn't say a word about it. "You're a better man than _some_ may think then."

Frey said this with a pointed look at Freya who only scoffed. Loki smiled slightly, knowing Frey had only challenged him on Freya's wishes. Making him do her dirty work. A very Freya thing to do.

"Now I have to kill you. No hard feelings," Frey said and Loki watched as the blond lifted his sword once more.

"Not at all," Loki said simply, his hand gripping tightly at his dagger.

Then, before anyone could react, in a sharp movement he tossed his dagger. All eyes followed it as it sailed through the air towards Frey, skimming past his head and embedded itself into the wall with a thud.

There was a tense silence as everyone stared at the dagger still quivering slightly, sunken deep in the hard wood.

Frey cleared his throat. "I believe you miss—" he started to say, turning to look back at Loki.

But he wasn't there.

Astonishment crossed both the twins and Tony's face as they looked around for the Mischief god but he was nowhere to be seen.

Little did they know the god in question was only feet from them. He smirked, watching at Frey frowned at the place he'd been seconds ago. All it took was to distract them for a few seconds so he could slip into the form of a sleek black cat, hiding among the others in the room.

One of them, the pure white cat that Tony had been petting earlier he recalled, rubbed up against him. A female by the scent of her. Loki batted her off with a paw. Now was definitely not the time for that at all.

"Loki?" Freya called with a scowl twisted on her pretty features. "You do know that if you run off then your death will be taken out on the mortal you've left behind, don't you?"

Loki glanced at Tony who was desperately searching the room for him. The desperation on the geniuses face made his heart clench. He wondered if Tony truly thought he had abandoned him.

He would apologize later. For now, he had a job to do.

Frey had crossed the room to the dagger sticking out from the wall, studying it as if it would tell him where Loki had vanished to. Loki padded over to the blond god of Summer and (wanting to vomit when he did) rubbed his side against Frey's leg.

The god looked at the black cat, his eyebrows knitted together. "Shoo. Go on. Back to the others," he said, nudging Loki with his foot towards the other cats.

Loki half wanted to laugh at the situation but only made himself purr deep in his throat, pressing his body more instantly to Frey leg. He knew cats were Frey's absolute weakness. The god had told him so the last time he'd been here. Loki remembered asking why Freya had so many cats and Frey had said he adored cats and Freya knew that so she made them her sacred animal in her twins honor.

Thankfully, this seemed to remain true as Frey took a quick glance around the room for Loki once more, completely unaware he was right next to him before he knelt down, going to pick Loki up to move out of the way from a sudden attack which was unfortunate for him as that's exactly what happened.

Loki used his seiðr to change back into himself, smirking at Frey's shocked and slightly betrayed looking face before he pulled the dagger from the wall, kicked the sword from Frey's slack hand and shoved Frey roughly onto his back. Loki was on top of him in an instant, pinning him down with a hand gripping both of the blond's wrists above his head and the other holding the dagger to Frey's throat.

Both men panted hard though Loki couldn't help the smile that made its way onto his face.

"Well?" Frey inquired, raising an eyebrow.

The smile faded from Loki's face, realizing he still had one thing to do to win this fight. He swallowed harshly, looking over at Tony whose eyes were wide, shock evident in them but also...fear. Fear that Loki would kill the man beneath him all because of something someone else wanted.

Loki turned back to Frey and shook his head. "All we want is to get back...get back home," he spoke the last word with difficulty, knowing that saying it would mean Asgard would no longer be his home any longer. "That's it. I do not need your life for that," Loki stated before carefully pressing the dagger down. "But if that's what it takes then don't think I will."

Frey considered Loki for a moment before he flashed a smile. "Deal. You win. I surrender."

Loki sighed in relief, taking the dagger away. He expected Frey to grab it and turn it on its owner but he didn't, only standing once Loki had. Frey wasn't much of a dirty fighter.

"You saw it Freya. Loki won fair and square. Hope you're satisfied with your grudge," Frey said to his sister who was sulking with her arms crossed over her chest.

Even sulking she still looked dazzling but Loki knew it was all magic and enchantments. Perhaps she did look beautiful but no one truly knew as she was always wrapped in her spells. "Fine. You can go to Asgard. See if I care."

Tony seemed to have suddenly unfrozen at those words as he abruptly stood, the brown cat that had settled on the geniuses lap falling with an undignified yowl. "Asgard?! Why the hell are we going back there? I thought we were going to Midgard?!"

Loki had to hold back a smug smile at the fact that Tony now called his human world in Norse terms but held back. "There is something there that can transport us straight to Midgard. It's far safer than going through Yggdrasil."

"Yeah, but—" Tony made a long sigh. "Loki, you do realize you're exiled from Asgard, right? If anyone caught us there then Odin will have our heads on silver platters."

"It won't come to that," Loki said simply. "Just trust me. You trust me, don't you?"

Tony huffed, crossing his arms over his chest like a petulant child. "Of course I trust you. That wasn't my point though."

"If you two are done with your little spat I'd rather get you off my realm," Freya cut across them both.

Frey glanced at them both with a look that said 'sorry about her'.

Loki sighed, walking over to Tony and took his hand in his, squeezing gently. The contact seemed to help Tony a little, the tension going out of his body. "Yes, we're ready to go. Aren't we?"

Tony pouted though he nodded. "Yeah, we are," he grumbled before pointing a finger at Loki. "And we need to have a "turning into a black cat and stabbing people" talk! How the hell—?!"

"Later," Loki promised him, tugging him forward. Tony grumbled but grabbed the pack as they passed it, slinging it back over his shoulder. Loki turned to Freya. "We're ready to leave."

Freya nodded reluctantly. "Let's hope you never show your face here again. You and your mortal."

"He isn't mine," Loki said once again though his heart still fluttered in his chest, remembering how Tony had said he did love Loki though the god pushed it aside, telling himself it was because of Freya's love magic making Tony's thought incoherent. He hadn't truly meant it.

Freya only smirked as if she knew something Loki didn't. "We'll see. Goodbye, Loki. So long, little mortal." She waved her hand, Frey giving them one last smile and a charming wink.

Loki gripped Tony's hand a bit tighter as the world around him faded to white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Next chapter there's gonna be some jelly Tony and Loki angst and after that, things are gonna start heating up 😈✒


	26. I See You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

Loki blinked as the world came back into focus and found himself standing in his old room. His bed was made as it always was, ingredients to the spells he made strewn across his table, the spellbook left open on the nightstand. Nothing looked out of place or seemingly touched in a very long time.

He took this as a good sign that no one had been able to enter his room which meant that hopefully, no one would know yet they were here. The room was shielded from Heimdall's gaze but still, Loki didn't wish to linger. They had to get what they needed and leave as soon as possible.

Tony looked around the room in awe, letting out a low whistle. "Wonder whose room this is. They got a thing for being a witch or something?" He asked, nodding towards the bottles of potions Loki had stacked on a shelf. "Can we poke through their stuff?"

"This is _my_ room, Stark," Loki said pointedly, making Tony grimace and cough awkwardly.

"Ah, right. Never mind then," he said which made Loki roll his eyes. "So what are we grabbing?"

"Something from Asgard's vaults," Loki said distractedly as he looked through his room, squinting at the tiny labels on each potion he came across, cursing his past self for making the writing so small. He pulled open his desk drawer, searching through there.

"Which is?" Tony asked, waving a hand for Loki to continue on.

"The Tesseract," Loki stated, finding what he needed with a relieved sigh, grabbing the potion and two pendants from his desk drawer which he closed before turning to find Tony staring at him. "What?"

"You're not still hung up about stealing that damned thing, are you?" Tony said with a raised eyebrow.

Loki scoffed, walking over to the genius and putting one of the pendants around the man's neck. "If I wished to steal it then I would have. You know very well why I didn't."

"Because we stopped you?" Tony said, referring to his Avenging friends as he studied the pendant with curious golden brown eyes.

Loki put on his own. "It had nothing to do with that. If I had bothered to put in any effort I would have gotten what I wanted easily."

"Uh huh, sure. So what's with the pretty necklace you've decided to randomly put on me?" Tony asked warily before pointing at Loki's. "And why do you have a matching pair? What is it? A friendship necklace?"

Loki had to try really _really_ hard not to shake some sense into the so-called genius, reminding himself that Tony was blindly trusting him with all this and that the genius knew little to nothing about objects with magical properties. "It will shield us from Heimdall's watchful eyes. I placed enchantments on these a long time ago for when I wished to venture without Heimdall watching my every move."

"You mean when you were up to no good?" Tony asked with a smirk.

Loki withheld a smile. "Maybe. It was just lucky I had a spare. Sometimes Thor—" Loki sighed softly. "We used to venture together, get up to trouble and laugh with each other whenever we got away with a daring feat."

Tony shifted on his feet. "I'm sensing that there's a 'but' coming."

Loki nodded sadly. "But many times...Thor got hurt a lot. Once he very nearly died because Heimdall could not see us and take us back home. I had lost Thor in the woods when the aof had gone looking for some firewood and didn't return. I had been yelling his name for hours until I finally found him unconscious, a beast feasting on the flesh of Thor's side. I-I destroyed it. The beast. I got Thor home to the Healers but it was a close thing. He so very nearly died and I swore I would never let Thor venture with me again without Heimdall watching over us."

Loki felt a shudder run through him as he recalled the memory, remembering the ugly creature turning its face towards him, flesh and blood covering its face, fangs dripping with the stuff and Thor's prone figure lying on the forest floor by it, a chunk ripped from his side. Loki remembered how he had screamed in rage and fear, his seiðr escaping him and tearing the beast to shreds.

He had collapsed to his knees but still he had forced himself to crawl to Thor's body, looking over the gruesome injury that had made Loki want to throw up. Blood had stained the ground around them, far too much of it. Loki hadn't had any magic left in him to heal Thor and had desperately torn the pendant from his throat before screaming Heimdall's name so loud that his vocal cords felt like they were tearing, gripping Thor's cold, pale hand in his.

Loki gasped as he was suddenly brought back to the present by arms circling his waist, a face smushed into his chest. He stared down at Tony who held tightly to Loki, clearly attempting to be comforting and he found that it did in fact feel comforting.

If anyone else had tried to do this he would have blasted them away but Tony…Tony was different. Tony actually cared. This wasn't something false.

"He's okay, Loki. He's alive. You saved him," Tony said, his voice muffled but firm. He looked up at Loki, golden brown eyes pleading with Loki to understand. "You saved his life. Nothing can hurt him so long as you're there for him."

Loki swallowed hard, forcing a nod. "Speaking of which, we should get going. But first I need you to drink something."

Tony moved back after a slight hesitation, perhaps wondering if Loki was as truly okay as he was letting on. And honestly, Loki wasn't entirely certain if he was or not. He had tried to forget that day but it had dug its way into his mind.

"It isn't poison, is it?" Tony asked, eyeing the bottle Loki held in his hand.

Loki smirked, trying to push away the images his mind tried to show him. Thor's pale face, torn side. "If it was, would you still drink it?"

Tony gave him a much more serious look than he was expecting. "I trust you."

The god let out a slow breath at the intensity of Tony's gaze. "It's a simple invisibility potion. I'll drink half, you drink half. It should last us long enough to get to the vault unseen."

Tony nodded his understanding. Loki tipped back the potion, drinking half and tried not to gag at the taste. Like mud mixed with week old milk. He handed it to Tony who swallowed the rest before coughing and pulling a face. "Ugh, fuck. What kinda potion was that? You sure it ain't poison?"

"We're about to find out," Loki said, looking down at his hands. It took a minute or so but slowly, surely his hands vanished from sight. He glanced at the mirror and saw no reflection looking back.

"Wait, why did the clothes vanish?" Tony asked, making Loki look over but saw only thin air. He had to remind himself that Tony was there, but simply invisible.

"It's part of its effects. It makes anything within five centimeters outside our skin vanish with us," Loki explained patiently, giving Tony a moment to get used to the spell.

"And here I was hoping we would try to run around naked," Tony stated from Loki's left now, likely looking at himself, or not, in the mirror. "So, should we bring the pack or...?"

Loki saw the pack be pushed in by an invisible force and guessed Tony was nudging it with his foot.

"We shouldn't need it. If everything goes to plan we should make it to Midgard next," Loki said simply.

"And of course our plans just _always_ work out, don't they?" Tony snarked before invisible fingers touched Loki's stomach. "I'm sorry if this is your ass or something. Oh, wait. No I'm not."

Loki rolled his eyes, taking the hand in his own. "Perhaps you shouldn't let go. I don't need you getting lost."

"Good plan. Let's hope that if all else fails, that one will work," Tony muttered (Loki wished he could show Tony his face that portrayed how stupid he thought Tony sounded). "Alrighty. Ready to go? I'm so ready."

Loki opened his mouth to confirm this when something caught his eye. "One moment."

He let Tony's hand go before he crossed the room, eyes seeing nothing but the object hanging from the mirror that he only now spotted. It was a necklace made of silver chain. A pendant hung on it, a circle with what resembled a tree at the centre, different colored stones used for leaves. But Loki knew the stones represented the Nine Worlds and the tree was a miniature symbol of Yggdrasil. He remembered his Mother giving it to him, a smile on her face as she whispered how much she loved him, that so long as he had it then she would always be there with him, protecting him to her very last breath.

Loki also remembered the day she died and in rage had thrown the necklace across his room, screaming and crying. He knew that since she was gone, it could no longer protect him. All it served was a reminder of what he had lost.

He reached out, curling his fingers around it and watched as it vanished. He took it from where it hung and before he could think better of it, put it around his neck. It may not be able to protect him any longer, but it was still a part of her, still a part of something they once shared. He couldn't lose that too.

He hadn't realized he'd been crying until he felt the wetness on his face. He frustratedly wiped the tears away and marched back to where he had left Tony, grabbing for his hand which he eventually caught in his own, squeezing tightly.

As if sensing something was wrong, Tony squeezed back just as tightly. "You okay?"

Loki nodded though he knew Tony couldn't see it. "Yes. Let's go. I'm...I'm ready to go home."

Tony's hand squeezed impossibly tighter before Loki tugged them forward, opening his door and glancing out, seeing no one. He pulled Tony from his room, shutting the door firmly behind him even though it wouldn't have mattered. He wouldn't be returning to this place.

He moved silently down the corridor, looking around for guards even though he knew he wasn't visible to them. Two young women passed them by, talking to one another but didn't seem to see Loki or Tony which meant the potion was working.

They kept moving, down a spiral of staircases, through countless doors and many corridors until Tony started whining that his feet were starting to hurt. Loki only told him to hush as they continued on, through another door and down some stone steps. The further down they went, the darker it seemed to get.

Finally they reached the end of the steps to double doors across the length of a corridor which Loki knew was the entrance to the vaults.

"There, see? Those doors up ahead leads to the vaults. Can your poor footsies make it that far or would you like me to carry you?" Loki whispered sarcastically.

Loki had the feeling Tony was glaring at him. "As much as I know that was a joke, it doesn't sound like a bad idea."

The god scoffed, tugging Tony forward and heard as the genius stumbled. "Shut up and walk, Stark."

He heard Tony huff out a breath but followed willingly. They had almost reached the doors when Tony suddenly yelped in pain and cursed loudly, his hand releasing Loki's.

Loki whipped around despite knowing he wouldn't be able to see Tony. "Anthony, what on Asgard are you doing?!" He hissed out.

Tony moaned in pain. "I hit my toe on that fucking support beam!" He whisper shouted though after the yelling he'd done mere moments, Loki doubted it mattered.

As if proving Loki correct, a voice spoke from behind him. "Who's there! Show yourself!"

The only thing that kept Loki from blasting whoever it was that had heard them to bits was the fact that he recognized the voice. He turned and sure enough it was the blond with that goatee Loki always teased him for, saying it wasn't very Norse-like, his long thin sword drawn.

Tony cursed again which only made the man narrow his eyes. "You have the next ten seconds to reveal yourself or else I raise the alarm."

Loki reached behind him, managing to snag Tony's shirt, fisting his hand into it and draw him close out of protectiveness.

"What do we do?" Tony whispered lowly so only Loki could hear. "Can we knock him out? Kill him maybe?"

He was still trying to figure that part out when the blond spoke again. "Five second. Four, three, two, one—"

"Fandral, wait!" Loki said loudly, his voice echoing in the long empty corridor.

Fandral froze, blue eyes going wide and his arm dropping until the sword point clinked against the floor as he made a choking sound. "L-Loki?!"

Said god swallowed hard. "Yes, it is. Fandral, please. You cannot go to Odin. I'm begging you."

Fandral looked as if he was trying to remember how to form a coherent sentence. "W-what...what are you _doing_ here?! Are you _mad_?!"

Loki let out a breathless laugh. "Possibly. Listen to me. I need to get into the vaults—"

"No, you need to leave. Like, right now," Fandral said firmly, focusing his eyes on the left of Loki as if trying to pinpoint his location. "Do you have any idea how stupidly dangerous this is? Don't you understand what Odin would do to you if he knew you came back here?"

"I know but—"

"Do you?" Fandral asked, blue eyes full of stunned disbelief. "Loki, he wouldn't just kill you. I've heard talk and...I know of some of the things they spoke of, things that I cannot repeat as it sickens me to my core. If Odin captures you...you do not want to know the things he has in store for you and that mortal traitor also."

"Yeah, hi. Mortal traitor is listening so watch how you refer to me, buddy," Tony stated cheerfully from behind Loki.

Fandral shook his head. "It's not important what I refer to you as. You both need to leave now, while you still can."

Loki sighed, wishing they could but knew that any other way would be suicidal. "We cannot. We need something from the vaults that will take us to Midgard. Yggdrasil is far too dangerous. You of all people should know that."

Fandral winced, looking away. "I know but being here is far more dangerous."

"Then let us pass and we'll be gone within minutes," Loki said insistingly. "It'll be as if we were never here."

Loki could practically see Fandral furiously thinking it over, wondering if letting them pass or sending them away was the better option.

Finally after a few agonizing moments that felt like eternity, Fandral's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Very well. If you truly think it is the safest way and will be gone in the next five minutes then go. I wish...I wish I could see you one last time but this will have to do. Go now and hurry."

"Thank you," Loki breathed, pulling Tony after him as he made to pass Fandral. He paused beside the blond and quickly leaned up, pecking Fandral's cheek. "I owe you one."

Fandral smiled just slightly. "If I remember correctly you actually owe me two. Nidavellir, remember?"

Loki chuckled. "Two then. Let's hope one day I will be able to repay you."

"Go on now. You're wasting time," Fandral said urgently and Loki decided he was right, turning to leave.

"Goodbye, Fandral," Loki sighed softly, walking towards the double doors.

Fandral glanced back at where Loki's voice was coming from. "Farewell," he said quietly. "And, Loki?"

Loki glanced back. "Yes?"

Fandral smiled even though he didn't look back at them. "I see you."

The raven frowned, looking down but he was still invisible. His eyebrows knitted together, confused for a moment before realizing Fandral did not mean with his eyes.

Loki swallowed hard, turning once more and pulled one door open a crack, pulling Tony through with him and gently closed it behind them. He ignored the aching in his chest at leaving his friend behind as he strode down the stone steps, Tony jogging to keep up with him.

"So," Tony said once they'd reached bottom. "You and Fandy, huh?"

Loki scoffed. "Really, Stark?" He said, releasing said man's hand as he looked over the ancient relics around him.

_'You were once one of them,'_ that nasty voice whispered in his mind. Loki scowled, turning his attention back to the artifacts.

"Hey, I'm only saying!" Tony defended himself. "I didn't think you, well..."

Loki shook his head. "Fandral is only a friend."

"Yeah, not saying he isn't or anything but," he heard Tony cough, "did anything ever...happen between the two of you?"

Loki turned to glare in the direction the voice was coming from and started when he saw Tony standing there, looking at what resembled an egg.

"It wore off," Loki said, looking down at himself and saw he too was now visible.

Tony glanced at him with an unreadable expression. "You're avoiding the question."

Loki frowned at him. "If it really matters that much to you then yes, we were once together. Happy?"

Tony looked anything but that but didn't say, only turning away. "Let's just find this damned thing and get back to Mid—to Earth."

Loki frowned at Tony's sudden change of mood but nodded. Unfortunately it was easier said than done. It took far too long for Loki's liking to find the Tesseract but he eventually spotted its glowing blue energy and went over to it. "Anthony, over here."

Tony walked over, looking at the blue cube skeptically. "You sure we can use it to get home?"

Loki nodded. "Yes, I do. It should take us anywhere we desire so long as we have it pictured in our mind."

"The Avengers Tower then," Tony decided.

"Anywhere is better than this place," Loki muttered, glancing around the vault room. "This is the place where I found out what I was."

Tony paused. "You mean...when you found out you were a frost giant?"

Loki nodded. "Yes. Along with the fact that I was adopted, that I had been lied to my whole life about who I was. I remember the betrayal, the anger I had felt. I never felt either or those emotions as strongly as I had that day."

Tony reached over and took Loki's hand. "Well, this is where the lies will end. No more secrets. No more hiding things from each other. Once we make it home, we'll both come clean. Deal?"

Loki smirked. "Are you implying that you're keeping something from me?"

He had meant it as a jest but the look on Tony's face, a mixture of fear and guilt made Loki's stomach drop, wondering what exactly Tony was keeping from him to make him look like that. So...so scared.

"It'll be fine. The head said I'd find a cure," Tony mumbled, almost to himself.

Loki was very worried now, mostly for Tony's sanity. Perhaps the mortal had finally snapped. "Anthony, what are you talking about?"

Tony glanced up at him, golden brown eyes distance as if the genius was a million miles away in his mind. He opened his mouth to speak but he never got the chance as another voice spoke over him.

Loki had a sense of deja vu from the first time he was down here, hearing that single word before everything he thought he knew came crashing down onto him. Before he found out the truth of what he was. Before he found out the lie that was his life

A cold icy hatred went through his veins at the man he knew stood behind them as the foot of the steps leading down to the vault.

"Stop!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒*screams*✒


	27. Light It Up Up Up...I'M ON FIREEEE!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language, strong violence⚠️

"Stop!"

Tony turned on the spot at the familiar sound of the old geezers voice and glared with deep burning hatred. It sizzled in his veins, a fire of anger burning inside his chest. It rose to a burning inferno and it took everything in Tony not to kill the old man where he stood.

Odin was standing at the foot of the steps that led down to the vault, a spear taller than himself in his withered hand. Blue eyes so much like Thor's but colder and darker stared down at them both.

Tony felt like walking up to the old man and smacking him.

Everything that had happened to him, getting thrown into an icy cold Niflheim, getting frostbite from a frost giant, being tricked by a severed head into giving up five years of his life, being mentally attacked by an overgrown squirrel, getting bad mouthed about his height by an Alf, basically falling to his death from Yggdrasil, Loki nearly dying from the heat of Muspellheim, receiving a near heart attack from falling to Helheim, almost being eaten by a hellhound, getting tied up by two ugly dwarves, jumping off a waterfall which he then almost drowned because of and if that wasn't bad enough, he then had to watch Loki fight for his life for Tony's sake just so they could get home and it was this man's fault.

Loki's hand in his was the only thing holding him back from lunging at Odin and clawing his one good eye out.

"I would call you Father," Loki said quietly, "but I know now that you are anything but that."

If this statement fazed Odin, he didn't show, merely watching them with cold eyes. "You came back here, knowing you were exiled along with the mortal traitor to Niflheim. Not only that, but you have been caught in the attempt to steal from Asgard's vaults which is punishable by death."

"How did you know we were here?" Loki whispered, low enough that Odin might not have heard but the old Norse god smirked.

"Heimdall told me," Odin said, smirking more when Loki's hand went to the pendant around his throat. "Ah, yes. You're little tricks. Do not fret, Trickster. They still work. No, it was that Fandral boy. Heimdall saw him talking to seemingly thin air and thought it worth my attention when an invisible force opened and closed the vault doors."

Tony internally groaned at their rotten luck. Couldn't anything go their way for once?

He had no idea how much worse it was about to get.

Loki's grip tightened on Tony's hand. "You knew we would come. You knew we would not have any other choice."

"That does not excuse the fact that you did," Odin said simply, completely indifferent. "You knew the consequences of your actions and yet, you took the risk. Unfortunately for you and your mortal, it will not pay off."

"And what the hell are you gonna do about it?" Tony demanded, golden brown eyes burning with withheld anger and fury at the old man, the inferno of hatred burning brighter. "We have the Tesseract right next to us. You can't do shit. We'll be gone before you manage to hobble your way over here."

Tony half wanted a fight, to put Odin in his place, to make him suffer as Loki had, to make him beg as those hungry children in Jotunheim did for scraps of food, to make him scream for mercy for everything he'd done, for any pain he had caused another. But he knew this was their only chance to escape and that he couldn't take out revenge as he wished he could. He had to focus.

Odin smiled then, a cold, sinister smile that almost made Tony regret saying anything. "I'm afraid that won't be necessary. I have other means to kill you both."

Tony frowned, wondering if the old man was losing his marbles as Odin raised his spear and slammed the end against the marble floor, echoing off the walls.

There was a grinding noise and a heavy thudding like giant footfalls. Loki made a choked gasp and Tony looked around to see the wall near them had turned into a blinding white light and a shadow larger than them both, twice their size even was walking out.

Tony couldn't help but appreciate the engineering of the machine that walked out. It was completely made of sparkling metal, not a scratch or dent in the thing like it was brand new. Spikes were molded along its arms to shoulders and up the back of both legs. Inside of the metal helmet for a head that it had, Tony could see flames flickering, heat radiating off the thing like a furnace.

It was both beautiful and deadly.

"Okay, what now?" Tony asked Loki in a small voice who was staring at the machine in horror, green eyes wide with fear which wasn't a good sign. "Loki, wha—?"

"Move!" The god shouted, shoving Tony bodily to the side as a beam of hot energy zipped by where they had just been standing.

"Shit!" Tony swore, scrambling to his feet, Loki standing beside him. "What the hell is that thing?!"

"The Destroyer," Loki answered, watching as the thing walked slowly forward, knocking a relic from a pedestal where it shattered against the hard floor.

"Gee, I wonder how it got that name," Tony said sarcastically.

"Split up," Loki told him, pushing Tony in one direction as he ran in the other.

Splitting up was the last thing Tony wanted to do but he raced to the left, ducking as another beam of fire shot over his head like a laser. He ducked behind a column, looking around it cautiously for Loki but didn't see the raven.

Lucky him, the Destroyer seemed to decide that Tony was more interesting to kill first and was lumbering in his direction.

Tony dashed across the vault, tipping things up as he went, hoping it would slow the machine down but the Destroyer only plowed through it all as if it were nothing more than lego bricks. It was steadily catching up to Tony who ran behind another beam, panting hard as he struggled to catch his breath.

He glared down at his reactor, knowing it was the cause of his short breath. The metal embedded deep in his chest constricted the space his lungs had to breathe making it easier for him to lose his breath which was really not what he needed right now.

His right arm where the frostbite had travelled all the way down to his fingertips and now past his shoulder blade throbbed painfully. He was surprised that Loki hadn't even noticed it yet although, to be fair, they'd had more important things to focus on. Like not dying for instance.

Speaking of which...

Tony glanced out from his hiding place and yelped, dropping to the ground as a metal arm swung where his head had been, smashing the side of a beam into rubble.

He rolled away from the large foot that tried squishing him like a bug, scrambling back up to his feet and racing away, head low in case the thing tried beaming him again.

And there was Loki, dagger in hand behind a beam, green eyes glaring hatefully at Odin who was watching Tony in amusement.

Loki met Tony's eyes across the room, those green eyes he'd fallen in love with filled with determination and no fear.

He could hear as the Destroyer approached and ripped his eyes from Loki's, turning to the machine that was a lot closer than he anticipated. The machine swung its arms and this time, Tony wasn't fast enough to evade it.

The spikes on the back of its arms slashed the front of Tony's shirt to ribbons, deep cuts appearing across his stomach which exploded in pain. He stumbled back, the pain fogging his thoughts.

A furious yell rang through the air and Tony looked around, the Destroyer forgotten as he stared at the scene unfolding before his very eyes.

Loki had lunged from his hiding place when Odin had turned his back, sinking his dagger into the old man's back who only arched and twisted around. Loki had tried to move away but Odin was faster and stronger than either of them would have guessed for such an old guy.

Odin knocked Loki aside with the spear who flew back, sprawling on the floor. The Allfather reached behind him, pulling the dagger from his back, blood blooming through his clothing like a ugly flower.

He walked to where Loki lay unmoving on the floor, the bloodied dagger held in his hand. "You put up a good fight, Loki Laufeyson. But that ends now."

The dagger flashed red with Odin's blood as said man raised it over his head for a fatal blow.

No rational thought processed in Tony's mind as he dodged another attack from the Destroyer before he raced forward, grabbing a long sword from a pedestal. He dashed forward, yelling as he did which caught Odin's attention and lunged, slashing with his blade.

Odin yelled as the sword slash across his face, a deep cut pooling blood across the old god's cheek just under the eyepatch he wore.

Tony knew he couldn't face Odin, that he was centuries older than Tony but still, he stood between Odin and Loki, sword stretched out in front of him. The sword in question had a red leather grip and a golden blade. Tony's grinned. It was perfect. It even came in his colors.

Odin tossed the dagger aside as Tony strode towards him, each step more determined than the last. He lashed out, swinging his swords with skill he didn't even know he possessed but Odin was just as skilled, deflecting the blow with his spear.

Tony ducked as the spear sailed over his head and slashed at Odin's leg, managing to cut deep into the knee of the Allfather who stumbled back, temporarily vulnerable.

He never got to chance to take advantage of it however (fuck being the better person. You can't get much worse than Odin) as his bad arm was grabbed tightly and he yelled in pain, trying to yank it from the Destroyers grasp but it was a pointless effort.

Loki groaned behind him and he turned to look and saw the raven struggling to his feet. The younger god didn't get much further than that before Odin pulled him up and shoved him roughly against a hard beam, the spear held across Loki's throat, cutting off his air supply.

Tony stood frozen to the spot unable to move as he stared at Loki who was now at Odin's mercy. He attempted to stab the Destroyer but the thing grabbed his other arm so tight that Tony was forced to release the sword which clanged against the hard ground.

The Destroyer pushed Tony hard enough to send him tumbling to the floor, a heavy metal foot being placed on his chest. He gripped it in his hands, trying in vain to push the thing off him but the machine only applied more pressure the more he struggled.

Tony turned his head to the side to see Loki kicking out, twisting and turning as he tried to get out of the hold Odin held him in but to no avail.

Odin smiled cruelly at Loki. "You should have stayed in Niflheim. If you had, you wouldn't be here now, about to die by my hand as I should have done when I found you at that temple."

"You s-stole me!" Loki hissed out, eyes flaring with rage. "You took me f-from my family. My F-Father, my _r-real_ Father, told me e-everything!"

Tony groaned, huffing out a breath. He was surprised he wasn't already dead. He supposed Odin was making sure the Destroyer didn't kill him yet, wanting to wait for the perfect moment to do so.

"You should have stayed with him then," Odin spat acidly. "You should have stayed with your monster of a Father. But you didn't and now you and your mortal will die. I'm no fool. I saw the way you held his hand, the look in your eyes when you looked at him. He is dear to you, is he not?"

Tony gasped in pain, squeezing his eyes shut tight, turning his head away. The pressure was near unbearable now, the oxygen being pressed from his lungs.

"D-don't," Loki pleaded. Tony opened his eyes, looking over at the pair, his vision swimming. "You cannot do th-this."

Odin only continued to smile that cruel, cold, _heartless_ smile. "You do not know what I can and cannot do. You never did. But in your final moments, you will learn, this I promise you. Now you can watch as your little mortal dies. And then you're next."

Tony saw the tears in Loki's eyes as he looked at him. Tony wanted to tell Loki it would be okay, that there was no reason to be upset. He wanted to apologize for what was likely going to happen next but he didn't have the air to spare.

Instead he tried to convey the message with his eyes, seeing the way Loki shook his head, tears continuing to pool in those gorgeous green eyes, slipping down pale cheeks. Those eyes could very well be the last thing he ever saw. He tore his eyes away from Loki's, unable to look at the heart wrenching expression any longer and glared up at the Destroyer.

"Do your worst," he whispered, his face a picture of calm despite the anger burning deep inside of him, showing in his own eyes.

He had never felt so calm, so at peace in all his life as the things helmet was brought back, fire swirling up from inside the Destroyer and closed his eyes. He took what was possibly his last breath.

Then Loki screamed "Anthony, no!" just as flames washed over him, burning hot, scorching his skin. He gasped out as the flames washed over him, stealing the air from his lungs, sucking all the oxygen from the air around them. His skin felt like it was peeling from his body, blistered popping up all over him but he couldn't be sure.

Then the flames stopped. The scorching pain faded. Tony opened his eyes.

The Destroyer stood over him and if machines could look stunned, this one did, its helmet head cocked to the side as if asking _'why isn't he fried extra crispy?'_

Tony was wondering the same thing as looked over at Loki who looked back with wide eyes. Tears glistened on the god's face that portrayed shock along with relief.

Relief that he was alive.

Tony looked back at the Destroyer and blew a tendril of smoke from his lips.

"My turn," he said cooly, eyes flashing golden.

He raised his hands, barely understanding what he was doing but an instinct deep inside of him seemed to take hold, guiding his hands and mind as he laid them on the chest of the Destroyer and pushed with his mind, a burning feeling from the inferno of rage inside of him ran up his spine, through his arms and out his hands.

The metal under his feelings turned red with the heat sinking through it, building up more and more pressure inside the machine. Tony yelled and though he couldn't see it, his eyes flared golden, unrelentingly pressing up as the burning sensation ran through his whole body and burst out in a swirl of flames from his hands, travelling though melting metal into the Destroyer with the rest of the fire until—

BANG!

Tony ducked his head, shielding himself with his arms as the Destroyer exploded above him. Shards of metal flew in all directions, fire leaping out across the room setting artifacts on fire.

A searing pain spiked in Tony's stomach and when he moved his arms to look down he saw it wasn't because of the slash marked the Destroyer had placed earlier. He stared at the chunk of metal sticking out from the side of his abdomen. Blood was already beginning to pool from the wound.

He reached down with shaky hands and yanked it out, cursing as he did. The pain barely registered, already going numb as shock overtook his system.

Then hands were on him, Loki's face swimming into view above him. Tony managed a pained smile. "H-hey, Lokes. You're o-okay."

"You stupidly brave idiot," Loki said, trying to look angry but Tony could see the worry, the _fear_ in Loki's expression bleeding through.

"Odin—"

"Is unconscious. A piece of metal hit his head. He's out for the now. We need to leave before he wakes," Loki said in a rush, placing his hands to the wound in Tony's side, blood staining pale hands.

"'M 'kay. Let's go then," Tony said, gasping as Loki's hands flared with a green light, seiðr as the genius now knew it was called, seeped into his skin, knitting it back together and repairing any damage caused. Tony still felt as if his whole being was slowly burning though and held back a whimper.

Loki took his hands away, shaking his head. "We have to get you to Midgard, now. I do not have enough seiðr left in me to heal you completely."

"Help me up then," Tony stated, holding out his arms and Loki helped him up to his feet. He felt dizzy, disoriented but managed to stand on his own two feet.

Loki went to say something when a grunt was heard and they both turned to see Odin picking himself up from the floor, a bruise on his forehead, the slash on his face still dripping with blood.

Uncontrollable anger seized Tony suddenly and violently as he strode forward before Loki got the chance to stop him. He grabbed the old man, lifting him with a hand gripping the front of Odin's robes and slammed him against the wall.

Odin gasped out, his one blue eye going wide as he stared fearfully at Tony as he should. He should be afraid. Because Tony wasn't going to show this man any mercy for the things he'd done. All the horrible things Tony had seen, all the pain he'd felt and the fear, it was because of this god. The things Odin had surely known were happening to Loki and did nothing about.

No. He would make Odin _scream_.

"I don't know if you even have a heart inside you anymore or if it's just dead inside of you, but I hope whenever you think of me it strikes fear through it," Tony breathed, his now golden brown eyes boring into that single fearful blue eye. "Whenever you think to do something that causes another pain or fear, I hope you remember me and think very carefully."

Odin struggled to get out of the grip but Tony held tight, ignoring the burning pain wracking his own body. He reached up his hand, placing it over Odin's cheek, an almost tender gesture besides the flames flickering in his eyes.

"I hope you _burn_."

Flames burst from his palm to his fingertips and then was the time that Tony got what he wanted, his eyes dark besides the fire behind them.

And Odin screamed.

Tony only allowed it for a few seconds before he removed his hand, the fire receding back into his veins leaving a melted handprint on the old man's face. "Give Loki back his power. Now!"

Odin whimpered but his hands flared, a almost blinding flash of light and behind Tony, he heard Loki gasp. He looked over to see the god pressing a hand over his chest. He hoped that meant Loki had his magic back in full swing.

Tony released Odin, scowling at the pitiful thing beneath him, a scorched handprint on the Allfather's cheek. He watched as the old god's eyes fluttered shut, unconscious.

He then stumbled away, his energy failing him now as his knees gave out. Loki was there to catch him. There was no judgement in those green eyes as he looked at Tony, only concern and fear for Tony's health.

"Loki," he gasped out, clinging tightly to the god's shirt as the flames licked at his insides. "Loki….it _burns_."

Loki let out a shuddering breath. There was a gash on his forehead that Tony only now noticed. "We're leaving, now. Stand up. Come on now. Just hang on a little longer."

Tony didn't want to but he forced his legs under him and with Loki help, he ambled along to where the Tesseract laid on the ground, half hidden in debris.

Loki picked it up in a shaky hand, the blue glowing brightly as he did. "Hold tight to me and do not let go."

He nodded, wrapping his arms around Loki's neck, steadying himself against the taller man, their faces inches a part.

Tony blamed the battle they'd just had, the heat inside him making his brain fuzz up and the pain making him unfocused for what he did next.

Leaning up on his tippy toes, holding tight to the raven so he didn't fall back he brushed his lips to Loki's in a chaste kiss, their lips barely touching but enough for them both to feel it.

Loki had no time to react to this which Tony wasn't sure if he was happy about or not before the Tesseract flared and they were enveloped in a cloud of blue and black. There was a swirling mess of color that made Tony want to throw up but he only held Loki tighter, burying his face into Loki's chest before the spinning stopped and he looked up feeling disoriented and dizzy.

They stood in the middle of the Avengers Towers lounge room. Sitting in stunned silence were the other Avenger enjoying their morning breakfast.

Tony could only profess their expressions as he stared at them all.

Clint stared wide eyed at Loki mouth agape with half chewed scrambled eggs on display. Bruce blinked repeatedly as if he was having trouble with what he was seeing. Even Natasha looked shocked, looking between both Tony and Loki, calculating the situation. Steve's plate clattered to the floor as he stood, blue eyes huge in disbelief as he stared at the genius. "Tony?!"

Tony grinned, head spinning as he swayed on his feet, Loki's arms around him being the only thing to keep him steady. "Oh, hey C-Cap."

Then his eyes rolled up into his head and he blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒I have to say, that chapter was long as hell but I had so much fun writing it ^-^ Also, Tony's such a fucking badass in this chapter that I'm hyperventilating. Loki probably feels the same XD And I know you're probably wondering why I didn't kill Odin off. Well, lets just say I got my plans for him later >:3✒


	28. We're Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

Tony didn't want to wake up.

He didn't want to open his eyes or move his body from the comfortable warmth he was enveloped in. He wanted to slip back into unconsciousness where there was no pain and no fear.

What he guessed were blankets were so soft against his sore skin, his head resting on a pillow, which he turned and squished his face into. He missed this. Sleeping in an actual bed.

Tony frowned then, wondering how he had ended up in a bed. What world were he and Loki on? When had they found one with a place to stay?

He slowly forced his eyes open, blinking the spots from his eyes at the light shining down at him overhead. He glanced around and recognized the Towers infirmary.

Wait a second.

Tony sat up too quickly, making his head spin but he had bigger problems. He looked around wide eyed, trying to remember when and how he had ended up in the infirmary and most importantly, back on Midgard. Had Loki found a way to get them there while he was out? Speaking of which, when had Tony passed out? And why couldn't he remember?

A truly terrifying thought suddenly came to Tony.

What if it had all been a dream? What if all that had happened was Tony getting injured during a mission with the other's, perhaps by hitting his head and everything he'd thought had happened was a fevered dream he'd concocted up in his unconscious state?

Tony shook his head, trying to brush the thoughts away. No, he couldn't believe all of that had been a dream. The realization would crush him. Knowing that he never fell in love with that crazy god of Mischief. He couldn't handle that.

The door opened and Tony looked around to see Bruce walk in. "H-hey, Brucey," he said, realizing just how thirsty he was by his parched throat.

Bruce looked up, startled before his eyes grew wide. "Tony," he breathed, rushing over to him and grabbing the genius in a tight hug. "Oh thank goodness you're awake. We weren't sure if you were going to—"

"More important questions first," Tony said, cutting across Bruce, pushing the man away before it could get all gooey. Sure, he felt slightly bad but his mind could only focus on one thing at a time at the current moment and what it was deciding to focus on was Loki and what had happened. "Bruce, what h-happened? Where's Loki?"

Bruce knitted his eyebrows together. "What about Loki? Why would you want to know about him?"

Tony's heart dropped at Bruce's confused look. "Please don't tell me it was a dream. I...I _can't_ Bruce, please—!"

"Easy, Tones. Everything is okay. You were...you've been in a coma for the past week and a half. You're probably a little bit disoriented," Bruce said gently. "Just breathe, okay?"

Tony shook his head. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't! "W-what happened to me? What...what happened? Why can't I remember it?"

Bruce was looking more concerned by the second. "Your mind is likely in shock and refusing to remember what happened. As for what happened...we're not sure really. You just suddenly appeared with Loki in the middle of the lounge room and—"

"With Loki...wait, so it wasn't a dream?!" Tony exclaimed, hope blooming in him. "Oh, thank fuck. I thought...I thought it had been a dream but it isn't! Bruce, this is terrific!"

Bruce gave a begrudging smile. "I'm glad you think so. We weren't sure what you would be like when you woke up. We were worried you'd be...well, not like this at any rate."

"I still don't know what happened," Tony said unsurely. His mind still wouldn't piece together how he had ended up here with Loki.

"You appeared in the lounge out of thin air just like I said," Bruce told him. "Loki was supporting you since you couldn't seem to stand on your own. You had a stab wound in your side and...Tony, you were _burning_. Your skin was so hot that it burned us just to touch you. We had to...we had to hold you in a tub of ice cold water for nearly four hours to bring your temperature down."

Burning, burning, burning.

It all came rushing back in a violent wave and he gasped, suddenly unable to get enough air as he flailed his arms about. Bruce grabbed them before Tony could hurt himself or fall off the bed.

"L-Loki. I n-need Loki. Where is h-he?" Tony asked insistently, ignoring his stutter. "P-please, Bruce. Take me to Loki. Please, I n-need him."

Bruce visibly swallowed, clearly not liking the idea. "He's down in a cell. He's been there since you two got here."

"What? Why?!" Tony demanded though it was a rather weak attempt.

"It's just precaution," Bruce assured, attempting to soothe the brunette. "We found out about the whole mind control thing. After you and Loki were both banished we went through all your files to find evidence of what you said in hopes to have Odin bring you back. We found what you did, saw how Loki's eyes were blue throughout most of the attack until after...after the other guy tossed him around."

Tony licked his dry lips. "Yeah, I'm guessing that did nothing?"

Bruce sighed, eyes pained. "We brought our findings to Odin. Or more, Thor did since us going to Asgard was a one time thing. When Thor came back," Bruce shook his head sadly. "He said that you and Loki...that the both of you were...killed. Odin had told him that you two had been eaten by some beast in Niflheim."

Bastard.

Tony almost wished he had killed the manipulative asshole but alas! He hoped the old geezer would die from his injuries but Tony had a sinking feeling he wouldn't. It's always the evil ones that live the longest.

Bruce looked down, fiddling with his glasses which he had taken off, wiping the lenses unnecessary on his shirt. "We...we all thought you were dead. Steve was completely wrecked when he found out the news and Thor wasn't coping with losing Loki. It was hard, for a few months there."

Tony's heart constricted but forced a slightly painful smile. "Yeah well, surprise! I'm not. I'm okay, Brucey. I still got both my legs still attached, arms in working order—"

Suddenly the geniuses' eyes went wide. He looked down at his hands, both of them. They looked the exact same as each other, rough and worn, littered in little scars from working down in the lab.

And not a trace of frostbite.

Tony reached down and yanked up his right sleeve all the way to his elbow and stared down at the unmarked skin. No horrendous bruises, no frost, nothing but an expanse of sun kissed skin, unblemished, nothing out of place.

He was cured.

"Tony? Tony, are...are you okay?" Bruce asked, his voice sounding far away to the geniuses' ears.

"I-I need to see Loki. Now. Right now" Tony demanded, a little harsher than he meant to but he couldn't help it. He learned the hard way that for every blessing there was a price to pay. Now that he knew he was no longer in danger of dying anytime soon, he had to see Loki, to make sure _he_ was okay.

He made to get up but a stabbing pain went through his gut and he grimaced, biting his tongue to keep himself from yelling out. He pushed the covers back, pulling up his shirt and saw his midsection had been wrapped in thick bandages.

Oh, that's right. He'd been impaled.

Bruce seemed taken aback at Tony's sudden change of mood but eventually just shook his head with a sigh.

"Everything in me screams that I shouldn't be letting you get out of bed and walk around, especially with you only just having woken up and with that," Bruce nodded towards the bandages, "injury you've gotten which, by the way, you're going to have to explain later how you got. But I also know you'll just walk out of here yourself the second my back is turned."

"You know me so well," Tony said with a choked laugh.

Bruce rolled his eyes, helping Tony out of bed. Tony's legs felt like cooked noodles as he wobbled his way out the room with Bruce's support, ignoring the stabbing pains in his side. Twice he nearly keeled over, Bruce holding Tony's arm tight to keep him from falling.

Thankfully, someone had changed his dirty, bloody and slightly singed clothes he'd had on when he first arrived (those skin tight pants won't be missed) and he now wore one of his own shirts and comfortable pants that didn't constrict his movement which was good since he was having enough difficulty with that as it is.

"Nearly there," Bruce told him as they stepped out of the elevator. "Also, once you're a bit better you should talk to the team. Steve is absolutely frantic. Loki wouldn't tell us a thing about what happened with you two. You've been missing for over a year and—"

"What?!" Tony yelped, staring at Bruce, disbelievingly. "We were only gone a few months at most!"

Bruve shook his head. "I swear to you, it's been a year. Over that. We thought you were dead, Tony. If we had known…"

Tony grimaced. "Hey, no. It's okay, honest. I don't blame you guys. You probably wouldn't have found me anyway. You had no way to get to us. Loki tried telling me that when I sent that tracker—"

"Tracker?" Bruce questioned.

Tony waved a dismissive hand. "Nothing. But seriously. A whole year? Holy fuck."

Bruce chuckled nervously. "There's quite a bit we need to catch you up on."

"I look forward to it," Tony stated with an easy grin. He was excited to see the other's again and to apologize for not thinking ahead when he had stood up like a fool and defended Loki. He knew now that his friends must have been completely shocked by his behavior at the time. But right now he had more important things to do.

Bruce led him through a door and then there it was, a glass cell much like the one Shield had on the helicarrier and sitting on the bed, head turned towards the floor was the one and only Mischief god himself.

"Loki," Tony breathed, golden brown eyes wide.

As if he had heard Tony, the god looked up, green eyes finding the geniuses and watched as they widened just a fraction. Tony pulled himself from Bruce's arms, stumbling to the cell's glass door. He placed his hand over the scanner, the door sliding open and staggered his way inside.

Loki had stood and marched over to Tony, catching the genius when the man's legs decided not to support his weight anymore and Loki lowered them both to the floor. The raven held Tony to him as if afraid that if he let go, he would disappear and Tony's grip was just as tight, a sob building up in him. It burst from his lips as he buried his face into Loki's neck, feeling the god's pulse beat steadily underneath his skin.

They were alive. They were both alive.

"Anthony," Loki whispered. He spoke the name as if it were the most precious, most important, most valuable thing in the entire world and Tony crumbled.

Tears fell freely as the relief of not running for their lives, or hiding, or screaming, or feeling fear or pain finally crashed down on him. They were safe. They were finally home.

"Anthony," Loki said again, pale hands running through brown curls as the god tilted Tony's head back so their eyes met, a thousand words going unsaid between them.

"Loki," Tony whimpered, grasping the offered hand, determined to not let go anytime soon.

Tony's heart felt like it had burst, flooding his chest with warmth of the emotions swelling inside of him like a balloon. He put his arms around Loki's neck, drawing the god to him and placed his forehead on Loki's, ignoring the bandage wrapped around the god's head.

Loki caressed the side of Tony's face, his thumb just brushing just under his eye before he leaned forward, no hesitation in his movements and pressed his lips softly to Tony's.

A fire roared in Tony's chest at the contact as his eyes slipped shut, pulling Loki impossibly closer so their bodies were flushed against each other, deepening the kiss, hand tangling in raven locks. His hands fisted themselves into the back of Loki's shirt, feeling like if he let go, he'd fall.

Loki moved back, only slightly to whisper the words Tony had been dying to hear from the god's lips, the words he never thought he'd hear. "I love you, Anthony."

Tony took a shuddering breath, the fire he knew was in him flaring brighter at the words Loki had spoken, that he'd been yearning to hear from the god since he knew he'd felt the same way. "I-I love you too, Reindeer Games."

Loki smiled then, a pure, honest, genuine smile, not a trace of a lie or darkness in it that Tony reveled in as the god opened his mouth and spoke two words.

"We're home."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒It ain't over yet! Still have five more chapters to go! This is an early update because my data runs out soon so there won't be anymore updates for a while✒


	29. Here's The Thing...

Tony really must have missed coffee.  
  
Loki watched in amusement as the mortal man drained his third coffee for today despite it being late in the afternoon. Tony kept smacking his lips with a satisfied smile and Loki and to resist the urge to smile.  
  
They sat in the lounge area, Loki holding Tony in his lap despite the geniuses' protests. The man hadn't complained too hard though, knowing that Loki needed the closeness more than anything. The god was in a building of former enemies, save Tony who he trusted, but he did not trust the other's. His nerves were on edge as his gaze flicked up around at the other Avengers making him agitated and fidgety.  
  
The scientist, Bruce Banner who Loki knew had an alter ego named the 'Hulk' which he called the 'green beast' was looking just as nervous as Loki felt. The man kept pushing up his glasses, glancing between the other Avengers and Loki with a wary look.  
  
The archer, Clint Barton he remembered was called, kept repeatedly looking at Loki before just as quickly looking away again. Apparently after learning that Loki had been mind controlled as Clint had, most of the archer's anger had melted into sympathy. Loki suspected that the sandy blond wasn't sure what to make of him now and in all honesty, the feeling was rather mutual.  
  
According to Banner, Thor was currently back in Asgard as he had left only moments before the two of them had appeared in the lounge area. Thor had been recalled by Heimdall because there had been some disturbance there. Loki had smirked when he'd heard this, knowing exactly what this disturbance must have been though he was saddened that Thor wasn't here. He would have wished to see his Brother after so long of being parted from him.  
  
The female assassin wasn't present, seemingly still sleeping upstairs. Clint had told Bruce so when he'd asked. By the look Tony had given the pair, this wasn't a normal occurrence but when he'd asked if she was sick Clint had only shaken his head and told him she was still tired from the last mission they'd been on that morning.  
  
Which left the Captain. Steve Rogers' gaze kept altering between looking at Tony with a concerned face and Loki with hesitancy as if he didn't know what to make of the god. Loki felt much the same way about the soldier.  
  
Loki hadn't forgotten the way Tony's face lit up when Rogers' name had first been brought up between them. He remembered and could now admit, if only to himself, the jealousy he'd felt. Now however, Loki knew that Tony would never look at anyone the way he now looked at him...right?  
  
Tony relaxed back into Loki which the god tried to do also, clasping his hands together over the geniuses stomach, arms wrapped around Tony's waist. He placed a soft kiss to Tony's brown curls, relieved that he no longer had to be scrambling in fear, running from things trying to kill them, no longer needing to worry about protecting Tony from harm or from imminent danger.  
  
Well, not currently anyway.  
  
"Why don't you two start from the top?" Steve suggested after a tense silence.  
  
Tony let out a slow breath that he'd apparently been holding as he glanced back at Loki. "Should you start or should I?"  
  
Loki saw the hesitation in Tony's eyes, the reluctance and gave his cheek a gentle kiss. "I've got it. You just drink your addictive liquid."  
  
Tony grinned though it looked strained and went back to drinking his coffee, relaxing further still against Loki.  
  
Loki started from the beginning as Steve had suggested. He told them of how they ended up in Niflheim, how he and Tony had walked through the cold storm until Tony had blacked out. He explained how he took Tony to a cave he found, how the genius had very nearly lost his fingers to frostbite.  
  
He felt how Tony tensed up at that and realized he never did tell the genius about that. He shook his head, whispering a soft apology but Tony didn't answer. Guilt built up in him, wondering if Tony was mad but forced himself to continue.  
  
Loki told them how they'd stayed there for months. He spoke of Tony's tracker device which the Avengers claimed they hadn't seen anywhere in the Tower. He then went on to explain the idea Tony had gotten to go to Jotunheim.  
  
"Wow, you really are nuts, Tony," Clint commented. "I mean, I knew you had a screw loose since you're a bit of a reckless moron but this is a whole new level of stupidity."  
  
"Haha, shut up," Tony grumbled. "We were in the middle of nowhere with no one coming for us. I got desperate. Sue me."  
  
Loki chuckled at the bickering. Steve told him to continue which Loki did. He talked about how they prepared for a whole day to leave, how they walked from Niflheim into Jotunheim, how they came across a Jotun who took them to their cells.  
  
Loki couldn't help but notice the way Tony had gone very still when he had explained how the Jotun had grabbed the genius. He assumed it was because he didn't want the other's fretting over him. But still, something about it felt off.  
  
He didn't tell the other Avengers what had happened when they met Laufey. He didn't tell them how he had found out he'd been stolen or that Laufey was even his Father. It felt far too personal to share with these mortals that he hardly knew. He only said that they had explained the situation to the King and he had allowed them to rest the night there before going to the spring the next morning.  
  
When he told them that Tony had fallen into the water, Steve had sat up straight with a distressed look. "Oh God. Tony, are you okay?"  
  
Tony swallowed, avoiding their concerned gazes. "Yeah, fine. Got slightly boiled but fine. That's all."  
  
The hollowness in Tony's tone caused concern to grow even more so in Loki. Why did he feel like there was more to be said here by Tony? Like something was going unsaid.  
  
He remembered what Tony had said before Odin had appeared in the vaults.  
  
_'It'll be fine. The head said I'd find a cure.'_  
  
Loki blinked. Tony couldn't have possibly meant…  
  
"Anthony," Loki said, suddenly making said man look at him. "You wouldn't have happened to have talked to Mimir while you were in that spring, would you?"  
  
Tony's whole body went stiff. "Well, now that you mention it…"  
  
Loki's breath froze in his lungs. This was bad. "What did he promise you? What did you say to him?"  
  
He hated the way Tony avoided looking at him. "See, here's the thing...I was kinda dying?"  
  
Loki stared at him. "What?" He asked, uncomprehending what was being said to him. Dying? Tony dying? Those two words just shouldn't go together.  
  
Tony sighed, moving in Loki's lap till they faced one another though he kept his face turned down. "Remember Helblindi, how he grabbed me?"  
  
"Of course," Loki said, still not understanding, his brain slow to catch up. He was still trying to comprehend Tony dying.  
  
"Yeah, well, he sort of used his frost giant powers on me or whatever and burnt my skin with ice," Tony explained reluctantly. "I ended up with frostbite because of it. Laufey said if I didn't find a cure then I'd freeze to death in roughly a week or so."  
  
"That sounds a lot like Anna from Frozen," Clint mumbled.  
  
"Right?! That's what I said!" Tony said with a small smile that quickly faded as he caught Loki's shocked face. "Hey, I'm okay now. Cured and everything."  
  
"Anthony," Loki breathed, shaking his head as if to clear it. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have found a cure without Mimir getting involved."  
  
Tony hand fisted into Loki's shirt, frowning slightly. "Because...because I wasn't sure if I was going to make it. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry about something that would end up happening one way or another. Either I lived or I didn't. There would have been nothing for you to do."  
  
"You wouldn't have known that unless you ask," Loki said with a frustrated sigh. "What did Mimir ask of you? I know you made a deal with him. What was it?"  
  
Tony grimaced. "I, uh, said I'd be in his service for, um...five years?"  
  
Loki's heart seemed to stop. "You...oh, Anthony."  
  
"The stupid head played me to," Tony admitted reluctantly. "As soon as I agreed he just told me that I'd find the cure along the way. Didn't tell me what it was or anything. Just that I had to do a selfless act to get it."  
  
Loki eyebrows knitted together. "And which selfless act was that?"  
  
Tony shook his head. "No idea. I did a lot of selfless acts. Like not smacking that Alf? Yeah, that was pretty selfless."  
  
"Alf?" Bruce questioned.  
  
Loki shook his head with a smile. "You're okay now though, yes? You're no longer dying?"  
  
"Besides dying from love for you? No," Tony promised. "I'm not dying, Lokes. Not anytime soon anyway."  
  
Loki's heart clenched at the words, reminded that Tony was only mortal. Eventually, he would die whether Loki wanted it or not.  
  
He pushed it aside. That could wait until another time to sort out.  
  
Before he thought better of it, he leaned down, pressing his lips softly to Tony's who instantly kissed back, arms going around Loki's neck to hold him close. Loki marvelled at how warm Tony's lips were, though now he was sure he wasn't just imagining the burning sensation from Tony's touch.  
  
It was an awkward cough that made the pair break apart, Tony giving Bruce a half glare as the scientist smiled apologetically. "Maybe you should finish the story?"  
  
Tony huffed, clearly unhappy but allowed Loki to talk, twining their fingers together.  
  
He told them how after Tony had come back from under the water, they climbed through to Yggdrasil in which Clint asked what that was and Loki tried his best to explain it. He still got confused looks after it though Banner seemed to understand more or less.  
  
He went on to explain how they rested there the night (though they hadn't known if it were night or not) and the next morning they were attacked by—  
  
"A squirrel?" Steve repeated, looking between the two like one of them would yell 'April fools!' Was it even April?  
  
"Squirrel's are terrifying, man," Clint said with a shudder. "Damn critters. And this one was the size of a person?"  
  
"Bigger," Tony mumbled. "Loki and I barely escaped with our lives. We had to jump into...where was it again? Alfheim?" Loki nodded. "Yeah and there was this stupid Alf that kept making fun of my height. Loki kicked his butt."  
  
"If you had kept your temper then there wouldn't have been any need to," Loki muttered which made Tony scoff.  
  
"Well, Tony always did have a _short_ temper," Clint said with a grin.  
  
Tony pointed a finger at him. "I will end you."  
  
Bruce muffled his laughter as Loki smirked. Even Steve gave a small smile.  
  
Loki went on to tell them how, since he attacked the birch wood tree as Tony liked to call the Alf, they had to go back to Yggdrasil. He explained how Tony, being the fool he was, got himself whacked by a leaf and landed in a ditch in Yggdradil's bark.. His breathing caught in his throat as he told them how he had tried to pull Tony back up only for them to both fall but caught Tony's hand and attempted to pull them both up.  
  
"Then Anthony thought it a great idea to let go himself so I could pull myself up to safety while he fell to his death," Loki bit out, scowling to himself.  
  
"Hey, I said I'm sorry!" Tony exclaimed.   
  
Loki scoffed. "You never said you were sorry."  
  
"Yeah, well I'm saying it now. I'm sorry. Won't happen again, I swear," Tony said, raising his hand. Loki grabbed it and held it in his. "I'll continue from here since _somebody_ was unconscious for almost half the trip."  
  
Loki pinched the man in his lap making him yelp. "Shut up and tell the story."  
  
Tony pouted but did as told. Loki listened as Tony told the other how he had let go to go after Tony. The geniuses tone was annoyed but under it was a sort of deep admiration at Loki's willingness to sacrifice himself for Tony. It made his heart flutter in his chest.  
  
Loki listened attentively as, since he'd been unconscious, he didn't know a lot about this side of the story except what Tony had told him and at the time, Loki was half hysterical from all the danger Tony had put himself in to really pay attention to the details of what happened.  
  
Tony played with Loki's fingers as he talked of waking up in Muspelheim and found Loki himself unconscious with a burning fever and had hidden the god in a cave before going off to look for their supplies. Then he told them how he had heard the Muspeli and had intercepted them, thinking they were there to kill Loki before a Fire Dragon Tony called 'Smokey' had turned up and had nearly wet himself before finding out the dragon was friendly. Smokey the dragon had then taken them to the Mupeli village and one named Jiroch took Tony through a cave system and told Tony to jump off the chasm that led to Helheim.  
  
"Let me guess," Clint said before Tony could go on. "You jumped off it?"  
  
Tony gave a hesitant grin. "Nothing gets the adrenaline running more than tumbling through thin air to a likely death, right?" He said, making Clint snort.  
  
Loki however, was frowning slightly, thinking more on the conversation Tony had had with this Jiroch. "What did the fire giant call you again?"  
  
"A, uh, Ildja-Ildjo—hold on, I'll get it," Tony said, shaking his head. "Il-Ildjotunen? Did I say it right? Fuck, that's the hardest one yet. Real tongue twister, huh?"  
  
Loki didn't answer, deep in thought. If that word meant what he thought it meant…  
  
"Lokes? What's wrong? What does it mean?" Tony asked warily. "He didn't call me mean names in his language or something, did he?  
  
"No, I just…" Loki sighed. "If it means what I think it means, it could explain quite a bit and also create twice as many more questions."  
  
Tony frowned as well, eyebrows knitting together. "And what do you think it means?"  
  
Loki looked at him, Tony's golden brown eyes holding endless amounts of emotions. Curiosity, confusion, suspicion and even a little bit of fear. Loki had a feeling Tony had a good idea of what it could mean though he didn't want to say it aloud. Loki glanced at the other's openly curious expressions before he shook his head. "Nothing. I will speak to you about it later."  
  
Tony nodded slowly. He went back to telling the others how he had ended up in Helheim, was chased by a Hellhound, Garm, who nearly ate him before Loki's daughter stopped him.  
  
"You have a kid?!" Clint exclaimed, eyes wide.  
  
"I'm over a thousand years old. Why is everyone so shocked when they find out I have children?" Loki said to no one in particular.  
  
"Children?!" Clint squeaked. "How many do you have?! Actually, don't answer that. I don't want to know how many kids I could have orphaned from killing their Dad."  
  
"I'm a Mother also," Loki said almost absentmindedly though the look Barton gave him was priceless. "And you would never have been able to kill me. You lack the skill."  
  
"Anyway!" Tony said loudly. "Moving along from _that_ conversation."  
  
Loki smirked as Tony went on to explain how Hela (after a lot of arguing and death threats) helped Tony get to Nidavellir with Loki who woke up once they got there.  
  
Loki was beyond grateful when Tony skipped over the conversation they'd had, instead telling them they went straight to sleeping for the night. His trust grew for the man in that moment that he kept Loki's secrets as he had promised to.  
  
Then Tony went on to explain to them how the next morning they were tied up by dwarves that had snuck up on them.  
  
"And they wanted to _skin_ you?!" Steve yelped his face one of horror. Clint looked like he was going to be sick whereas Bruce's eyes were looking more than a little green.  
  
"Yup," Tony agreed, popping the 'p'. "Crazy assholes. Loki turned them to stone."  
  
"Like Medusa?" Clint asked warily, inching away from the god near him.  
  
"That's one way to think of it though there were a lot less snakes," Tony said with a shrug. "Loki probably _could_ turn into a snake though…"  
  
He then told them how he and Loki went to a waterfall that Hela had told them to go to and jumped in.  
  
"Because plunging into water we all know you're terrified of is always fun," Bruce said, looking at Tony pointedly. "Any more trauma you want to add to that Aquaphobia?"  
  
Tony managed a small smile. "Almost drowned too. According to Lokster here, I wasn't breathing."  
  
All the Avengers faces paled, even Loki's. How can Tony talk of something such as near death like this so flippantly?  
  
"Guys, relax. I'm okay! See? Breathing and all thanks to Loki," Tony stated easily. "If he hadn't been there I wouldn't be here. I owe him my life."  
  
"Unfortunately, you're very careless with your life it seems," Loki sighed making Tony grin.  
  
Tony continued with the story, telling them how they were in Folkvanger afterlife and met Freya and her Brother where Loki was made to fight Frey. Tony had then gone on to explain the fight, how Loki had turned into a cat and tricked Frey and won.  
  
"So, you're a shapeshifter?" Bruce concluded.  
  
"That explains the Mother thing," Clint mumbled.  
  
Tony grinned as Loki smirked even more so. It faded however when Tony went on to explain how they went back to Asgard and went to the vaults to get the Tesseract to take them home. Loki didn't miss the stiffness in Tony's voice when he was speaking of their encounter with Fandral.  
  
"We knew you had the Tesseract. We have it locked up safely now. Loki dropped it when you collapsed," Steve said, glancing at Loki. "We weren't sure of the situation. We did what we thought we should until we sorted everything out."  
  
Loki nodded. "It is alright. We only needed it to get here."  
  
"But that doesn't explain how Tony got injured," Bruce said, looking at the genius. "He was stabbed and he was burning up like no tomorrow. He nearly died."  
  
Tony glanced at Loki, his expression unsure. Loki understood. Tony didn't know if Loki wanted the Avengers to know what happened in that vault, wasn't sure himself if it was something the other's should know.  
  
Loki leaned forward to give Tony a soft, reassuring kiss. "It's alright, I'll explain. I do not want them to distrust me or you."  
  
Tony slowly nodded, squeezing Loki's hand as if to tell him without words.  
  
_'I'm here'_


	30. Flame On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

It took longer than Loki would have wished to tell them of how Odin had arrived before they could use the Tesseract to leave, how Odin sent the Destroyer to kill them both, how it went after Tony while Loki attacked Odin, how he had been knocked to the floor, how Tony had stood between them and fought Odin. He explained how he had gotten up just as the Destroyer grabbed Tony, how Odin had slammed him against a wall, how…  
  
Loki swallowed, looking at Tony whose eyes were on their intertwined hands. Loki still remembered how those flames had gone over Tony, how he had screamed Tony's name so loud that he thought his vocal cords would surely rip, how his heart seemed to cease to beat and his lungs refusing to breath. He'd thought Tony had died. No one could go through that much burning and still survive.  
  
Then the flames were gone and Tony was still there. He'd still been alive, still been breathing. The only thing that had changed were his slightly singed clothes and the withheld anger all through his posture.  
  
Loki had wanted to cry in relief, his heart beating once more once he knew Tony was alive. He had also wanted to smack Tony for scaring him so badly despite the surprise that he had seen on the man's face, just as shocked as Loki was. Not to mention he wanted to murder Odin for trying to kill Tony in the first place.  
  
But now it all made sense.  
  
Loki looked over Tony's face, wondering how he would look without the illusion Loki sense was over the genius. How he had not noticed it sooner was beyond him. He supposed it was because of how weak his seiðr had been. Even now, he could only just sense the thin layer of magic over Tony.  
  
With a bit of difficulty, he managed to get through the rest of the tale, only choking up when he thought Tony had surely died. Tony squeezed his hand the whole time, grounding him, speaking without words that he was still there. Finally Loki finished, waiting for the other's reactions wondering if they would be upset or angry at him for not doing more to help their friend.  
  
Clint let out a low whistle. "Holy shit. That was…"  
  
"That was quite the adventure," Bruce agreed. "No offense to Thor, but I kinda want to Hulk out on his Dad."  
  
Tony gave a hesitant grin. "Yeah well, let's hope there's no more adventures anytime soon. One is more than enough for me."  
  
"So, you can flame on?" Clint asked with a wide smirk. "Prove it."  
  
Tony gave the archer a light glare but Loki only shook his head, holding Tony more protectively against him. "He will not be doing any 'flame on'. He almost burnt himself from the inside out the last time he summoned the flames inside him."  
  
"Besides, I don't think it's...safe," Tony mumbled, looking down at his hands. "I mean, sure. I was able to control whatever the hell I did back there in Asgard but...I had some sort of instinct in me doing all the work. I have no idea what would happen if I tried now. I'd probably burn the Tower down by accident."  
  
"Let's not do that," Steve said quickly before anyone could suggest Tony try despite the danger.  
  
Tony bit his lip to hold back a grin. Loki shook his head, amused. He knew already exactly what Tony was thinking, knowing Tony wanted to set his hands on fire and laugh like a maniac just to send Steve running but thankfully, he didn't. Loki didn't think it would end well if he had.  
  
"We'll have to find a way for you to safely use those powers," Bruce deduced, pushing up his glasses as he looked at Tony. "We don't want to suddenly have to evacuate the next time you sneeze or something."  
  
"I thought you guys would be more freaked out about this," Tony admitted, looking between the three Avengers. "I know _I_ am."  
  
Clint rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You know a super soldier that was genetically modified from being a toothpick, a guy who can grow into a full on green rage monster the moment he gets angry, a literal god of Thunder, Natasha who is scary enough on her own and me who's seen enough movies to let anything faze him."  
  
"Did he just speak in third person?" Steve whispered to Bruce who only shook his head, clearing amused and exasperated at the lot of them.  
  
Tony huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking remarkably like a pouting child. "Fine. Don't freak out about it. See if I care."  
  
"So, what's going on between…?" Steve gestured between Tony and Loki. The Captain looked uncomfortable, blue eyes hesitant.  
  
Loki raised an eyebrow. "I thought that would be obvious," he said, his arm around Tony tightening into a slightly possessive hold. If Tony cared, he didn't say.  
  
Steve grimaced, glancing away. "I mean, yes. It is. I just meant...when? How? Was it while you were gone or...before that?"  
  
"Actually, neither. Maybe about ten minutes after I woke up?" Tony guessed though he didn't look at Steve when he said it. Loki ignored the feelings of jealousy rising up inside him like a cold storm.  
  
"Oh," Steve said, his eyebrows knitting together before he smiled. "Well, I'm happy for you."  
  
"You are?" Tony said, looking up now with a surprised look, blinking rapidly as if he didn't understand what was being said.  
  
Steve nodded. "Absolutely. I'm glad you found someone. Especially someone who seems to care about you so much he tried to sacrifice himself for you."  
  
Loki regarded Steve in a slightly new light, managing a begrudging smile. "Thank you, Captain."  
  
"Steve is fine," Steve said. "And there's no reason to thank me. You saved Tony's life. I should be thanking you."  
  
Loki nodded, holding Tony a bit closer. He was much less on edge now, realizing that he wasn't going to be taken from Tony, much less harmed.  
  
"More importantly, you guys are home now," Steve said firmly. Loki was taken aback by the way the Captain had included him when he said they were home, a feeling of acceptance running through him. "And you both look like absolute shit, so you both should—"  
  
"Do my ears deceive me?" Tony asked suddenly as he sat up straighter, staring at Steve as if seeing him for the first time. "Did _the_ Captain America just say a curse word?"  
  
Steve sighed. "Really, Tony?"  
  
"This has to be an imposter!" Tony exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Steve who sighed again. "Who are you?!"  
  
"Tony, stop it—"  
  
Steve was cut off when the elevator doors opened from across the room. Loki glanced over to see the female assassin walk out with another man with long dark brunette hair who held her hand, helping her out as her tummy looked rather swollen.  
  
Tony stood up, his empty coffee cup clattering to the floor as he stared wide eyed at Natasha who smiled slightly, green eyes sparkling. "Hey you. I heard you were back."  
  
Loki watched in amusement as Tony rushed over to her almost tripping over himself in his haste. He was careful of her very pregnant belly as he threw his arms around her. "Fucking hell. Why didn't anybody tell me—?"  
  
"It was meant to be a surprise," Clint said, who had stood, walking over to them and gave Natasha a quick kiss. "So, um...surprise?"  
  
Tony glared lightly before his face changed and quickly released Natasha. "I, uh, should not touch you. It might not be safe," he said, stepping a few feet away and holding his hands behind his back.  
  
Natasha frowned, looking at Clint questioningly.  
  
"He has flame on powers apparently," Clint told her.  
  
Natasha smirked. "Why am I not surprised?"  
  
Tony stuck his tongue out at the both of them. Natasha looked over at Loki. "I heard you were back too. Nice to meet the real Loki."  
  
Loki flushed under her gaze but managed a smile. "As it is to meet you, Romanoff."  
  
"Call me Nat," Natasha said as she walked over with the man by her side who Loki didn't recognize. By the curious look Tony was giving the man, he mustn't know him either.  
  
Natasha was set gently on the couch, Clint sitting beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist. The man mumbled something Loki didn't catch before he walked over to Steve who smiled a dazzling smile as the man leaned down and kissed him lightly on the lips.  
  
There was a sizzling sound and Loki looked around to see Tony staring at the embraced pair with wide golden brown eyes, hands clenched into fists which were alight with burning dark orange and red flames.  
  
Loki grimaced and slowly stood, walking over to him. Tony wasn't looking at him, only having eyes for Steve as the long haired brunette drew away.  
  
"Anthony," Loki whispered, making Tony start, looking up at him.  
  
Then he frowned, looking down at his hands and yelped. "Fuck!"  
  
That caught everyone's attention as they looked over at Tony swearing obscenities as Loki took his shoulders to keep him from running around in panic.  
  
"Flame on," Clint muttered with glee only for Natasha to swat him and tell him to be quiet.  
  
"Anthony, calm yourself," Loki said softly, seeing how fast Tony was breathing. "Deep breaths. Come now, you're alright."  
  
Tony grimaced, clenching and unclenching his hands. "Calm. Right. I'm totally calm."  
  
"I beg to differ," Loki sighed, massaging Tony's shoulders that were far too tense under his fingers. "Just breathe, yes?"  
  
Tony nodded stiffly, forcing himself to take slow, calming breaths. It took a while before the flames finally died out but Tony looked more than relieved when they had. "Thank fuck. That was scarier than I thought it would be."  
  
Loki checked Tony over, taking in his expression. Though Tony didn't look it, he could see the pain in those golden brown eyes he was trying to hide. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Yeah, fine. Just...just lost control there," Tony mumbled reluctantly. Loki could tell it was a lie, but let it be.  
  
"We should rest. Mostly you," he said to which Tony rolled his eyes, looking as if he wanted to protest but Loki didn't give him the chance to and he turned towards the other's who were watching them curiously. "Anthony and I are going to retire to our chambers for rest. It would be much appreciated if we were not disturbed."  
  
Steve gave an uncertain smile. "No problem. Jarvis will make sure that no one comes knocking."  
  
Loki took Tony's slightly warmer than usual hand and tugged him to the elevator, pressing the button and pulling Tony inside. "Jarvis, please take us to Anthony's room."  
  
"As you wish," the robotic voice answered. Loki remembered Jarvis from the invasion. He also remembered throwing Tony out a window as the genius yelled for his machine to send him a suit of armor. He grimaced at the memory.  
  
Tony was silent beside him though he didn't take his hand from Loki's. In fact, he held on tightly as if afraid Loki would disappear if he let go.  
  
The elevator opened to a hallway, Loki walking out with Tony beside him. They walked down the hall until Tony stopped at a door which he opened, stroding inside. Loki followed after him, closing the door as he did. "Anthony—"  
  
"I thought it was all a dream, you know that?" Tony said before Loki could speak. "I thought...when I woke up I thought maybe none of it happened. That maybe I'd hit my head during a mission and all it had been was a dream."  
  
Loki frowned slightly, wondering exactly why Tony was telling him this. Did he wish...did he perhaps wish it hadn't happened?  
  
Now that Tony was safe, now that he was home he must've realized just how terrifying the whole experience had been. That the only reason he had befriended (and then more than that) Loki was because he had been desperate for someone, anyone to be there for him. Perhaps he had changed his mind about it all. The thoughts made Loki want to break down. What if Tony didn't love him like he'd thought?  
  
Tony looked at Loki as if knowing exactly what was going through his head as he walked over, wrapping his arms around Loki's neck once he was close enough and dragged him down for a passionate kiss that they only shared when they were alone with no one watching.  
  
He drew back after what seemed like only moments, a smile on those lips Loki wished to kiss again. "I'm so fucking happy it wasn't."  
  
"You do?" Loki inquired, raising a slightly skeptical eyebrow. "Even the running for our lives? Almost dying multiple times? Screaming at the top of our lungs like Ragnarok had started? All of it?"  
  
"All of it," Tony agreed instantly. "Because I did it with _you_. Because only you and I share those experiences together and I cherish every single one of them. The good and the bad. I wouldn't trade it for the world...the _Nine_ Worlds. I love you Loki and I'm going to tell you that every single day for the rest of my life."  
  
Loki felt close to breaking down, feeling almost fragile in Tony's arms. "I love you too, Anthony. Who knew you had such a way with words? And they call me a silver tongue."  
  
Tony grinned slyly. "Why don't you show me just what that silver tongue can do?"  
  
Loki smirked, eyes full of mischief as he leaned down, kissing just under Tony's ear, feeling him shudder against him. "I will have you screaming my name so all of Midgard can hear you."  
  
Tony let out a breathless little moan. "Please."  
  
Loki moved back only so he could move forward and claim Tony's lips as he growled against them. "You're _mine_."  
  
"So long as you're mine too," Tony breathed. "Then I'll always be yours. Forever, Lo."  
  
Loki brushed his lips against Tony's temple. "I'm yours, Anthony."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Be prepared next chapter for some smut 😉✒


	31. Like A Flame In The Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: smut, strong language⚠️

Tony yelped as Loki picked him up, instinctively wrapping his legs around the god's slim waist. He ignored Loki's smug smirk as he was carried to the neatly made bed and laid out on his back like a meal. Well, Tony wouldn't object to being eaten by the man now straddling his torso, cool hands running under his shirt.  
  
Loki leaned down, kissing the corner of Tony's lips as his hands pinched a nipple between his fingers making Tony yelp and squirm under him. Tony watched as Loki sat straight, taking his hands away as he reached for the hem of his own shirt, pulling it up and off. Tony licked his lips as he stared wantonly at the expanse of smooth milky skin.  
  
"Like what you see, Anthony?" Loki hummed, reaching down for Tony's shirt.  
  
"Fuck yes," Tony muttered, letting Loki remove his shirt. Thankfully, with a bit of Loki's magic, his wound on his side had mostly healed up enough for this to not be painful. "Fucking hell, Loki please."  
  
"So impatient," Loki teased, licking a strip up Tony's neck before sucking a bruise into his skin. "I'll mark you in every way I know how so no one will touch you. You will be mine and mine alone."  
  
"Sounds like that might take a while. Better get started, Lo," Tony said, grinning as Loki chuckled.  
  
"Needy little thing you are," Loki said, running his hands through Tony's brown curls, bending his head back so he could easily kiss Tony's lips. Tony hummed softly, loving the way Loki tasted. Like peppermint.  
  
"Speaking of," Tony mumbled as Loki kissed down his jaw. "What exactly _am_ I?"  
  
Loki paused from where he was assaulting Tony's neck with miniature bruises and moved back which caused Tony to mumble protests. "Well, that is the question that I believe I may have an answer to."  
  
Tony pushed himself up onto his elbows. "Yeah? And what's that?"  
  
"Ildjotunen. The name the fire giant called you?" Loki said, tracing his fingers over Tony's face. Where his finger trailed a fire seemed to burn under Tony's skin. "If I'm correct, the word is another for Muspeli."  
  
Tony blinked, trying to figure out where this was going. "Wait, so you mean…?"  
  
"You may very well be a fire giant," Loki concluded.  
  
Tony's breath caught in his throat, eyes going round. "You can't be serious. Have you seen me? I'm like...like six feet tall! I'm short for _human_ standards. I can't be—"  
  
"How old are you, Anthony?" Loki asked which made Tony pause. "Over fourty, yes?"  
  
Tony grimaced. "Forty two. But what has that got to do with anything?"  
  
"Have you ever wondered why you look so good for a forty two year old?" Loki inquired.  
  
"Healthy living?" Tony guessed though his version of 'healthy living' wasn't very healthy. "Fresh air?"  
  
Loki sighed. "When fire giants reach a certain age they freeze in that time. The same goes for Jotuns, god's, Alfs, dwarves. They live for thousands of years and still will only look younger than a hundred. You still look as if you're in your mid thirties. You'll have a while yet before you gain any grey hair, believe me."  
  
"So, I'm gonna live for thousands of years? Seriously?!" Tony demanded, slightly skeptical.  
  
"There's only one way to find out," Loki said softly, his voice alone soothing Tony's panic. "I can perform a spell that'll take any illusion on you away. If you're not one then this spell won't have any effect."  
  
Slowly, Tony nodded. "Alright. Might as well try it. What's the worst that could happen?"  
  
Loki smiled, leaning down to give him a lingering kiss, a spark flaring deep inside Tony before the mischief god splayed a hand on his chest, just below his arc reactor. A green light seeped into his skin and spread outward.  
  
Tony gasped, sitting up straight as a cold sensation washed over him. Loki still held his hand against his chest as the skin there turned grey. For a panicked moment, Tony remembered the dwarves and wondered if he was turning to stone but snapped out of it as the grey spread all over his body, lines like the ones Loki had on his own body in his Jotun form appearing on Tony's skin but golden.  
  
His hands were shaking as he stared down at them, taking in the dark grey skin. He was...he was…  
  
"Gorgeous."  
  
Tony's head snapped up to look at Loki who was staring back, a small smile playing at his lips.  
  
"I'm a fire giant...I'm...oh _gods_ ," Tony muttered furiously, his chest feeling too tight.  
  
Loki chuckled softly. "And a handsome one at that," he said, running his hands down Tony's bare chest.  
  
Tony flushed, dark splotches of grey appearing on his cheeks. "Flattery. My one weakness."  
  
Loki smirked. "Just take the compliment, Anthony."  
  
"Will do," Tony stated as he looked over his body, checking out the golden lines that contrasted boldly against his grey skin. He caught his reflection in the mirror and saw his eyes were now golden with black dots littering his irises. Huh. They looked almost slitted, like cat eyes. "I don't get it though. The flame powers and stuff...it _hurt_ , Loki. It burned inside me. Wouldn't I be flame resistant and stuff?"  
  
Loki seemed to take a moment to consider. "I'm not sure. I believe it may be because of the illusion, the glamour cast over you. It is a strong one so the flames when you summoned them, must've tried to burn it away, hence burning you also."  
  
Tony frowned. He wasn't so sure about that answer but he didn't press the issue. That was for another time to figure out.  
  
"Let me show you something," Loki murmured, reaching for Tony's hand. Tony let him take it and watched as if in a trance as Loki pressed his fingers to a golden line on his wrist before moving it up along the line.  
  
Pleasure raced through Tony's body like fire (and it well could have been) as he let out a wonton moan. "O-oh, shit. What the hell was that?!"  
  
Loki grinned cockily. "Jotuns have such lines on their body. I discovered that particular one myself when I read of it in a book about frost giants and I must say, it was fun exploiting it. It seems it has similar effects on fire giants."  
  
Tony panted softly as Loki traced the line over and over, heat rolling off him. "I-if you keep this up we're never gonna fuck and I'm kinda looking forward to that."  
  
Loki grinned as he pushed Tony's chest so the genius fell back into the pillows, taking his hand away from his wrist. "As you wish."  
  
Tony still wasn't entirely sure of this whole situation, knowing now he wasn't human, nor did he have the normal life expectancy he thought he had. As many questions it had answered it also popped up twice as many. Especially about his Father and Mother.  
  
But at the moment, he found he didn't care. He had Loki and apparently thousands of years to be with him. And right now, all he wanted was Loki. Just Loki.  
  
"Let me see you," Tony insisted suddenly, ignoring Loki's wary look. "I want to see you. You get to see me. It's only fair, right?"  
  
Loki scoffed. "Hardly," he muttered but obliged, his pale skin fading to blue and hesitant ruby red met his golden ones.  
  
Tony smiled, leaning up and pressing a kiss to those cool deep blue lips. "And you say I'm gorgeous?"  
  
He let out a slow breath as Loki's cool hands travelled down his stomach to the hem of his pants, tugging lightly to draw them down. He gasped when he's bared to Loki's lustful eyes and moaned softly.  
  
Loki slid down his body and Tony watched with eager eyes as Loki mouthed around his cock, the skin feeling sensitive as the god sucked and bite at the flesh, drawing closer and closer until—  
  
"Fuck!" Tony swore, his head falling back to hit the pillow. He panted softly, enjoying the sensation of Loki licking strips up the length of his member with those skillful tongue. Then he was taking it into his mouth, bobbing his head at an impossible pace that had Tony struggling to breathe properly. It felt fucking amazing. No wonder they called Loki a silver tongue.  
  
Tony didn't think it could get better until an unfamiliar but fantastic pleasure raced through him. "Shit! What the hell was that?!"  
  
Loki pulled off him with a wet pop, smirking mischievously doing his title as a Mischief god justice. "That, Anthony, was your clit."  
  
"My…?" Tony blinked rapidly, uncomprehending what was being said. "But, the last I checked, I was a dude."  
  
Loki smiled softly. "Giants all have one gender only. There's, technically, no boy or girl though some have more feminine or masculine features. Giants can both produce and reproduce. As such, giants have both parts."  
  
This made somewhat sense to Tony but still. "I didn't have a vagina before!"  
  
Loki shook his head. "Because of the glamour over you. Whoever put it on you was skilled. It was a thick, strong one that repressed anything unusual about your appearance. You wouldn't have noticed before now."  
  
"No shit," Tony mumbled reluctantly before sighing. "So I have a pussy. Which is just...sure, why not? Does this make me a virgin still?"  
  
Loki cracked a grin. "Do not fret. It isn't that big a change. It won't appear on you in your mortal form which I'm sure you'll keep on when in the company of your friends?"  
  
"Yeah, I don't really want them knowing about this yet," Tony admitted. "But for the now, I kinda wanna have some fun with this."  
  
He gave Loki a cheeky smile which he knew Loki had come to recognize as him being okay with the newest weirdness in his life. Loki didn't speak, only leaned his head back down, but this time between Tony's legs, missing his cock completely.  
  
Tony gasped as Loki's tongue lapped at what he guessed was his vagina, squirming slightly at the sensation when Loki sucked at his clit, pleasure sparking through him. He wondered vaguely if Loki had a vagina too. Well, he did say all giants had the one unnamed gender. Tony was definitely going to have fun with that later.  
  
There’s lube somewhere in Tony's drawers, he knows it. He reaches for them, yanking open the first drawer which thankfully does have a jar of lube right where he'd left it. "Glad to see they haven't touched my stuff."  
  
Loki laughed in a slightly breathless way when he sat straight and quickly stole the jar from Tony's hand before the genius could protest. He unscrewed the cap off and helped prepare Tony himself.  
  
Normally Tony didn't bottom but this time he was willing to, knowing Loki wouldn't like the feeling of not being in control, of someone hovering over him. It hadn't slipped his mind what those guards had done to the Mischief god but also knew Loki wouldn't want to be treated like glass. Allowing Loki to dominate him, Tony was willing to do, to submit for Loki so he would feel safe.  
  
A low pleasured sound is drawn from Tony's mouth as Loki's long fingers circle his tight ring of muscle and slowly press two inside of him. Tony clenched down on them, biting his lip hard at the slight burn of it. He's happy Loki didn't try for his newly acquired pussy. He wasn't quite ready for that.  
  
He looked up to see Loki staring at him heatedly and the look made him lurch up to capture Loki's lips in a messy kiss. Fire rolls through him like an inferno but this time, it doesn't hurt. It only fuels his desire for more.  
  
Loki adds another finger, stretching Tony further which only causes the genius to groan in approval. But he wants more. He wants so much more.  
  
He breaks the kiss, panting heavily as he looked up at Loki and a breathless moan leaves his lips when he sees how the pupils of those blood red eyes were blown wide with lust and want.  
  
"Fuck, Loki, please. I need more. I want more, please," Tony begged even as he moved his hips to push himself further down on those fingers enough to brush his prostate and yelp followed by a groan when fire raced through him. "Please, I can't take much more. I need you in me."  
  
"Oh, I love when you beg, Anthony," Loki whispered as he went to suck at his neck but did as asked and removed his fingers from Tony's ass which made Tony whine at the sudden emptiness.  
  
He spreads his legs wider as his hands go to Loki's hips and he pulled at him, silently asking for more. This is what he'd been wanting, what he now needs. He wants so badly he can barely focus, his brain fuzzing up with lust.  
  
Loki uses what remains of the lube on his hand to slick down his cock, though his touch is hurried and notably doesn’t linger there for long. Tony doesn't mind. He just needs Loki. He's so fucking ready. Loki is easily just as hard as he is.  
  
"Don’t hold back," Tony breathed as he quickly wrapped his legs up and around Loki's slim waist and crossed his ankles over at the small of Loki's back. “I want it. I want all of it. All of you. Everything."  
  
Loki takes a shuddering gasp at that but forces a nod nonetheless as he lines himself up, glancing up at Tony once more to ensure that it's okay. Tony gives him a nod of approval as he braces himself, fisting his into the bedsheets.  
  
Loki doesn't hesitate after that. Tony feels Loki pressing the head of his cock against his hole, moving forward until he breached the muscle and smoothly sank all the way into the tight heat.  
  
Tony bit his lip hard, almost enough to draw blood as he looked up at Loki who was still, letting Tony adjust to the stretch. He could tell though, that it was taking Loki an effort not to move by the way his body shook and panting out harsh breaths. Tony made sure only to take a few quick moments to himself before he nodded for Loki to start moving. "I'm ready. Loki, please. Move, please!"  
  
Slowly Loki pulled back until only the tip was still in Tony before thrusting his cock back inside Tony in a smooth efficient stroke and began to rock into him with steady thrusts.  
  
"Shit, Lokes," Tony groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as he focused on the feeling of Loki in him, the dick pressing against the walls of his ass. It made the fire in him spread to wherever Loki touched him. His neck, his cheek, his back, everywhere as it spread all through his body.  
  
Tony let himself sink into the mattress, pushed there by Loki's weight as he leans forward as if being inside of him still isn’t close enough. When he has air for it Tony would press more kisses to Loki’s lips, dipping his tongue into the god's mouth, exploring every inch of it.  
  
Tony knows by the look on Loki's face that he feels Tony erection against his stomach, between them. This is proven right when Loki's hand reaches between them to wrap around a cool hand around Tony's leaking cock and stroke him firmly. Tony shouted curses as he thrusted his hips up into it which caused Loki to thrust straight into his prostate and he saw stars.  
  
It's almost too much and not enough at all.  
  
Loki's other hand goes to hold Tony's where it was fisted against the bedsheets. Tony loosened his grip on the sheets for their fingers to intertwine and they stay there as the rest of their bodies continue moving, swaying and thrusting as they both drive closer to the edge, closer to release.  
  
Every inch of Tony feels hot, the spreading thick warmth of fire in his very blood. Loki is lost in the moment, the look on his face like pure bliss. It’s all skin, muscle, feel, taste and _heat_.  
  
Loki squeezes his hand especially hard, right before he comes. He gives a short cry of pleasure before he's moaning Tony's name. The expression on Loki's face is one Tony would never forget, nor the way his name sounded on Loki's lips in that moment.  
  
It's not long before Tony comes a few seconds later, pushed to the brink by the feel of Loki filling him and the hand still on his cock. He makes a sound somewhere between a gasp and a groan before shouting Loki's name, the fire roaring like a lion inside him as he spills over the edge.  
  
It took them a while to calm, staying where they were, both quivering and panting, trying to come back to themselves enough to recover. Finally Loki moves the hand that was around Tony's cock. He wipes it off on the sheets in a dazed motion, before pressing it to Tony's heaving chest just beneath the arc reactor shining brightly.  
  
They still don’t say anything to one another. Loki just gazes deep into Tony's eyes who in turn is unable to tear his gaze away from those of the one above him straddling his hips still.  
  
It takes Tony a moment to remember that their hands are still together but he doesn't let go, only holding tighter.  
  
Loki moves out of him gently before he leans in, pressing his lips to Tony's as the god's lashes fluttered, brushing the geniuses cheek as Loki's closed his eyes, a small smile tugging at his lips as well as one forming on the lips kissing his.  
  
Then he rolls over to his side, flopping down on the bed beside Tony, pressing up against his body. Tony instinctively moves to his side as well putting Loki at his back, and before he can get up, the thoughts of a shower on his mind as he realizes how sticky he must be, a forearm slides across his chest, holding him in place as Loki nuzzles into his neck.  
  
Tony felt as his body relaxed, spent and exhausted, that lazy contented feeling that comes after especially vigorous and fulfilling sex. And he feels so comfortable, so warm, so happy. Loki was cool at his back and he found it was a pleasant feeling. He just couldn't bring himself to get up and ruin that so he relents, allowing Loki to spoon him.  
  
Tony happened to glance down at his arms, thinking of the frostbite, how he had nearly died because of it and took a sharp intake of breath when he saw what looked like a red, golden tendril glowing under his skin, seemingly sinking into the flesh and vanishing without a trace.  
  
What the hell…?  
  
He shook his head, putting it out of his mind. He was far too relaxed to be worrying about glowing things in his skin. He would think more about it tomorrow. For now…  
  
Tony managed to throw the blanket over them at least, thankful that it was late enough to sleep so the other's didn't become concerned for what they were doing. Jarvis got the hint and turned off the lights for them.  
  
Finally, he closed his eyes with a soft contented sigh, finally convinced now that they were home. Because no dream of his could ever feel as real as that had. "I love you, Loki."  
  
A kiss was pressed to his hair, the grip on his tightening just slightly. "I love you too, Anthony."  
  
With that said, it wasn't long before the both of them drifted into dreamless sleep, Loki holding onto Tony, curled protectively around him as in turn, Tony held Loki's loose hand in his own.  
  
The red, golden glow drifting over Tony's body at random, flickering almost like a flame in the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒Who's ready for Thor to come back?? (And hopefully not murder Tony for 'defiling his Brother' 😅)✒


	32. More Important Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️Warning: strong language⚠️

It had been nearly a week now since Tony had come home and he was happier than ever.  
  
He had his friends back who were all ecstatic to have Tony home just as much as he was. He had Loki by his side, always there when he needed the god.  
  
And he also had his coffee. Thank the gods for the coffee. Tony didn't know how on Midgard he survived without it for four months. Or technically over a year since time passed differently on other realms.  
  
Tony had been introduced to Steve's boyfriend, James Barnes who preferred the name 'Bucky'. According to Steve, Bucky was a friend from back in the 1945 that Hydra had found after a train incident. Hydra had apparently brainwashed the poor guy and froze him for seventy years until they had use of him. Steve and the other's found Bucky and managed to knock him unconscious and bring him back to himself.  
  
Now he was all better and a couple months later, they were in a loving relationship. And Tony was happy for them. Of course he was. Seeing them kiss the first time round had been a bit of a shock to his system, knowing Steve had long since moved on even though he had thought Tony was dead. Even if he had been alive, Steve probably never liked him that way, only as a good friend.  
  
But Tony had moved on too. He no longer stared absentmindedly at the Captain as he was usually too busy cuddling on the couch with his own boyfriend or him and Loki fucking like rabbits to the mortification of the other Avenger's who had to listen to the pair scream in pleasure two floors above them.  
  
Tony had been doing some digging actually, searching up on his family history. He found out quite a bit about his Mother, her parents and their parents and so on. His Father's side, however? Not so much.  
  
When he told Loki, he guessed that perhaps his Mother was mortal and his Father a Muspeli which made him only half fire giant. This also meant that, no, Tony wouldn't be living for thousands of years. Over a hundred or so perhaps, but not thousands.  
  
Tony had both been relieved and disappointed to hear this. He wasn't quite ready for forever, or 'five thousand years, give it take' as Loki had put it. But given a few more weeks he probably could get used to the idea of it even though he knew now that's not the case.  
  
He would still outlive everyone he knew now, but it didn't faze him as much as he thought it would. He had known far too many people that had died before him, people he had cared about, had never wanted to see gone. Still, he knew it was going to be hard when it happened all over again.  
  
Loki had also said that the reason Tony had been able to feel the heat that had burned through him at the vaults in Asgard might be because he was half mortal. When it tried burning the spell over him it had burned the mortal form of himself as well. This made much more sense to him.  
  
Currently, Tony was sitting in Loki's lap, idly playing with the god's hair with a cheeky grin on his face as he braided Loki's raven hair. Loki let him as he watched the morning news.  
  
That's when thunder suddenly rumbled in the clear sky outside and everyone looked towards the balcony that had flared with a bright, blinding light.  
  
Loki stood up which caused Tony to fall on his ass with an undignified yelp of alarm but Loki paid him no mind, staring with wide green eyes as the light vanished and a person stood on the balcony, slowly making his way inside, a hand gripped tightly around his hammer.  
  
Tony grumbled as he stood, brushing himself off before grinning at the new arrival. "Hey, Thunder Thighs. Long time, no see?"  
  
Thor blinked around the room as if he hadn't heard Tony before his eyes settled on Loki who stood frozen. Thor's blue eyes seemed to light up like candles as a smile broke across his face. "Loki."  
  
"Thor," Loki breathed, tears springing to his eyes.  
  
Said god strode forward, Mjolnir dropping to the floor with a thud as he threw his arms around Loki, pulling him into a bone crushing hug. Loki didn't seem to mind, hugging back just as fiercely as a sob burst forth, burying his face into Thor's chest.  
  
Tony couldn't hold back a smile. Loki really did love his Brother.  
  
Loki didn't look like he wanted to, but he pulled away, quickly wiping the tears from his eyes. "I-I just wanted to tell you," Loki took a shaky breath. "So many times I didn't think I'd make it back to your side but now I am and I need you to know, to understand that...that I'm sorry. So sorry, Thor."  
  
Thor shook his head. "Loki, you have nothing to be sorry for—"  
  
"You're wrong," Loki said firmly, tears slipping down his cheeks. "We drifted apart, Thor. I pushed you away. I refused to allow you to call me your Brother and refused to accept you as mine. But you weren't. You were so much more to me. You're not just my Brother but my best friend. I know you'll always have my back. I need you to know that I am _proud_ to call you my Brother. But know that you'll always mean so much more than that. I'm sorry I led you to believe otherwise."  
  
Thor looked at a loss of words, his own tears shining in those blue eyes so unlike his Father's. So full of joy, love and affection for his baby Brother. "Loki, I...thank you. That means the worlds to me to hear."  
  
"I know," Loki said softly, looking down at the floor. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."  
  
Thor smiled gently. "You have now. That's all that matters...Brother."  
  
Loki managed a small smile of his own.  
  
Tony coughed. "Yeah, sorry to break up this happy moment but firstly, where the hell is my hug?"  
  
Loki gave Tony a reproachful look as Thor chuckled. "Terribly sorry, Man of Iron. I will ensure to make that my top priority next time."  
  
Tony huffed as Thor wrapped his arms around the genius. "You better. It's nice seeing you, buddy."  
  
"And I you. Thank you for taking care of my Brother," Thor said with a bright smile.  
  
Tony grimaced. "About that...I'm doing more than taking care of your Brother. You see, Loki and I are, uh—"  
  
"Anthony here is courting me, Brother," Loki explained, cutting across Tony's stuttering.  
  
Tony felt the arms around him tense and whimpered. "Please don't kill me!"  
  
Thor drew back, standing straight as he looked between the two, watching as Loki twined his hand into Tony's. "Does he make you happy, Loki?"  
  
Loki nodded. "I've never been happier. If you hurt him, I will be forced to blast you. To not tempt me."  
  
Thor only smiled. "Then continue as you are. But the same goes for Stark here. If he hurts you, do not hesitate to tell me."  
  
Tony gulped at the death glare Thor sent him and coward bravely behind Loki. "I won't hurt him. I swear I won't."  
  
"Very well. I'm happy for you, Brother," Thor said with an approving nod. "I hope the best for you and your lover."  
  
"Actually, Thor, I wanted to talk to you about something," Tony said quietly, peeking out from behind Loki who he totally wasn't hiding behind. "In private," he added for good measure.  
  
Thor frowned slightly but nodded. Tony stood straight, glancing at Loki who was watching him curiously but didn't ask.  
  
Tony grinned at him reassuringly. "Be right back."  
  
Tony led Thor to the hallway, shutting the door so no one could overhear them. Thor raised a intrigued eyebrow but waited patiently to hear what Tony had to say.  
  
"First of, thanks for not castrating me," Tony started, trying for a smile.  
  
Thor shook his head. "Do not be silly. If I were to castrate you, it would be a public event for all of Midgard to see."  
  
Tony couldn't tell if he was kidding. Probably not. "Right, um, second, I wanted to...to ask you a favour."  
  
Thor frowned slightly. "What favour may that be?"  
  
Tony fidgeted, rubbing at the back of his neck, his previously frostbite fingers twitching at his side. "Well, when Loki and I were stranded in that frozen wasteland of a planet, he told me about his, uh, kids."  
  
Thor's mouth formed an 'o' shape as he nodded. "I see. Loki doesn't tell many about his younglings. But I'm unsure as to why you're explaining this to me?"  
  
"Well, one of them caught my attention," Tony admitted. "Loki told me all his kids are grown and stuff except a wolf called Fenrir because he was isolated or something?"  
  
At this, Thor grimaced as if pained by the subject. "Indeed he was."  
  
"Exactly. I'm not sure how old the poor guy is. Loki didn't say when Fenrir was isolated—"  
  
"When he was only a pup," Thor interrupted with a sad look. "Fenrir was taken from Loki as soon as he was born. Loki barely got the chance to hold his pup before he was taken from him."  
  
"Speaking of," Tony said, a fire burning up in the pit of his stomach, hot with anger. "What asshole thought it was a good idea to take away Loki's kid? And why?"  
  
Thor shifted uncomfortably on his feet. "Odin did. There was a prophecy about a wolf named Fenrir that would kill Odin when Ragnarok occurred. For this reason, Odin trapped Fenrir to an island so the wolf would not be able to fulfill his destiny and end Father on the day of Ragnarok."  
  
"Asshole fucking deserves it," Tony seethed, clenching his hands into fists.  
  
Thor frowned. "I know you have disagreements with my Father banishing you for not believing your claims to my Brother's innocents to which I'm grateful you tried to do. Father only made a mistake when he thought you and Loki perished on Niflheim."  
  
"Oh, really? It that what he told you?" Tony asked with a scowl. "He knew we were alive Thor. He lied to you. He set a goddamn monster robot on the both of us! He almost killed Loki!"  
  
Tony had to force himself to keep his volume down before someone came running to make sure everything was alright but it was a hard thing to do with his anger spiking as it was. He grimaced as the smell of smoke and looked down at his hands to find the right one of fire. Ever since the frostbite taking over his system of that arm it had been more likely to set it on fire for reasons Tony couldn't explain.  
  
Thor stared at Tony's hand also, eyes reflecting the flames. "How…?"  
  
"Flame on," Tony muttered as he slowly breathed to lower his heart rate and calmed himself enough to kill the flame. "There's a lot we need to catch up on."  
  
"So it seems," Thor said almost cooly. "Father told me the Destroyer malfunctioned and was injured trying to stop it. Father is very ill at the present moment because of it. But it seems this isn't the case."  
  
"Damn fucking right it isn't," Tony grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest before sighing. "Look, we'll have plenty of time to talk things over but this is really important. I need you to find Fenrir and bring him here."  
  
Thor chewed his lips, blue eyes wary. "You do not understand what you're asking of me."  
  
"Then explain it to me," Tony stated easily, waiting patiently as Thor continued to look uncomfortable.  
  
"If I do this, Odin will find out. He always does. I'll be exiled from Asgard because of it," Thor explained in the simplest way possible. "Asgard...it will need a leader, a ruler. Especially with Odin so ill though now I couldn't care less about that. But the people...they need leadership. They need a King if Odin was to perish. They may be able to get by without but…"  
  
"What's more important here?" Tony demanded though his tone was soft. "A throne or family?"  
  
A small smile appeared on Thor's face. "You are right. There are more important things than a throne. I know Fenrir is not only Loki's son, but my nephew. He is far more important than a throne or a kingdom," he said, blue eyes flashing with lightning. "I will no longer stand by and allow this to continue. I'll find him and bring him safely back here. I may take a while, however. Will you take care of my Brother in my absence?"  
  
Tony nodded quickly. "Absolutely. One hundred percent. Can you find a way to contact me or something?"  
  
Thor grinned. "I have my ways. I'll call you if anything delays my return. I should only take little more than a couple months."  
  
"Oh boy," Tony mumbled, already not knowing how he was going to explain this to Loki without spilling the beans. "Alright. Just speak when you can so, you know, I know you're alive and all."  
  
Thor chuckled, clapping Tony on the shoulder. "You have my word!" He declared loudly before his expression sobered and Tony grimaced as the hand on his shoulder tightened to slightly painful. "But do know that if you hurt my Brother the consequences will be dire. Friend or not, you will end up regretting it."  
  
"Yeah, I don't want to have my face smashed in by Mjolnir, trust me," Tony said, ignoring the throb of pain his shoulder gave when Thor let go.  
  
The Thunder god gave him a cool smile. "Oh no, not me. I meant Loki. He is the one who will make you regret it, not I. You think I would be bad? My Brother can make you think hell is home."  
  
After meeting Hela, the thought was scarier than it should be. "Gotcha. No hurting your little bro. Not that I would anyway."  
  
"Then I shall see you in a couple months," Thor concluded, smiling brightly. "Dangerous adventures and monsters to kill. Such fun."  
  
Tony couldn't help but disagree. He hoped to never have to face another life threatening ordeal or fight another beast ever again. He'd had enough dangerous adventures and monsters to last him a lifetime.  
  
Besides, why would Tony want that when he had Loki?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ✒👀✒


End file.
